The Indian Removal Act

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The Indian Removal Act of 1830 gave America an immense chance for development. The Indian Removal Act was “an Act to provide for an exchange of lands with the Indians residing in any of the states or territories, and for their removal west of the river Mississippi”(Indian Removal Act of 1830 ). The small nation underwent a great change in many aspects. Forcing Native Americans out by establishing the Indian Removal Act impacted American history by bringing political, economic, and geographical changes. In exchange of thousands of innocent lives, America furthered its power by controlling more land, gaining more valuable resources, and obtaining freedom to expand. America experienced a prodigious amount of political changes with the removal of Indians. Economic changes were also inevitable as there were fields of gold on Indian land. There were greater outcomes geographically with more lands available for use. Although it was a heavy cost to pay, the lives lost were considered a necessary sacrifice for the advancement of American betterment and in result revolutionized the nation. The first impact that the Indian Removal Act had on American history was a political change. By removing the Native Americans out of their land and taking away their rights, Americans became the leaders of the nation and had the sole power to govern it. First, when white Americans were determined to take the Cherokee land, it changed the leadership of America. Andrew Jackson, who was currently the president at the time, signed into law the Indian Removal Act in 1830, ordering Native Americans to move from the east to the land west of the Mississippi River. Then in 1838, U.S. Army troops gathered 17,000 Cherokee people and forced them out of their homes a... ... middle of paper ... ...sessing gold in Native American territories brought America great wealth and at the same time gave freedom in the usage of land. Acquiring land from Native Americans led to the western expansion which enlarged American territory and brought great prosperity to the nation. Critics now blame Jackson for executing the removal, but the idea of the policy was not only his. Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and John Quincy Adams also shared the same opinion and contributed in carrying out the removal act. Although this event was tragic, it was an inevitable one and would have happened somewhere in history. The two groups would never have agreed entirely on their political views, and would have had to determine which group led the country at some point in time. Thus, the Indian Removal Act was an essential occurrence that paved the way for the development of the new nation.

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