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10,000 BCE
Paleo Indians move to America
The first people to live in North America, the Paleo Indians, spread across the continent. -
1452
Pope Urban II declares war on Native Americans
Pope Urban II states that non-Christians do not have the right to own land. -
The U.S. makes the Bureau of Indian Affairs
The U.S. government creates a federal office that is responsible for handling the country's relationship with the 500 Indian tribes in the U.S. -
Cherokee Indians are forced to walk on the Trail of Tears.
President Andrew Jackson orders Cherokee Indians off of their land east of the Mississippi to unsettled land in Oklahoma. Over 4,000 of the Cherokees die on the long walk, which has come to be called the Trail of Tears. -
The U.S. and eight Indian nations sign The Fort Laramie Treaty.
The U.S. signs the Fort Laramie Treaty with eight Indian nations in the Northern Plains. The treaty says that Indians will allows settlers safe passage through Indian territory in exchange for money. -
The U.S. government cancels the Fort Laramie Treaty.
Wanting to own the land where so much gold has been discovered, the U.S. government cancels the Fort Laramie Treaty. -
Robert Latham Owen becomes the first Native American senator
Robert Latham Owen, a Cherokee Indian, becomes the first Native American to serve in the U.S. Senate. Owen represented Oklahoma in the Senate until 1925. -
The first Christian Native American becomes a saint
Kateri Tekakwitha, a Mohawk Indian in the 17th century, becomes the first Native American saint. Born in New York, Tekakwitha was shunned by her family and fellow tribe members when she was baptized at the age of 20.