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Background
Settlers are rapidly moving west and encroaching on land belonging to Indian Nations. Ideas that Indians are savage and violent spread among white settlers, making them intolerant of even peaceful Indians. -
Indian Removal Act
The Indian Removal Act is signed, allowing the president to grant land in the west to a tribe in exchange for their land through negotiation. Law Stated that tribes could not be persuaded, bribed, or threatened, and had to agree of their own accord. -
States attempt to drive out Indians
States and settlers try to drive out tribes through mistreatment, stealing livestock, looting houses, and even mass murder. States also tried to limit the Indian Nation's legal power so that settlers could encroach on their land. -
Choctaw are expelled from land
The Choctaw are expelled from their land under threat of invasion and are marched double file in chains to the Indian Territory. -
Worcester vs. Georgia
Supreme Court rules that Indian Nations are sovereign and not subject to state laws. This means that states can no longer limit the Indian Nation's power in order to gain land. -
Andrew Jackson disregards Supreme Court Ruling
The Ruling from Worcester v Georgia goes unenforced, and states and settlers continue to drive out Indian Nations.
President Andrew Jackson publicly disregards the ruling, by saying that it is not being enforced and therefore should be ignored. -
Cherokee treaty is signed
Self-appointed representatives sign treaty with US Government to trade Cherokee land for land out west. US government considers the matter finished, despite the representatives not necessarily representing the Cherokee Nation. -
Cherokee Nation Protests Treaty
Principal Chief John Ross wrote a letter to Congress explaining that those who signed the treaty did not represent the Cherokee Nation. His petition received nearly 16,000 thousand signatures - the majority of the Cherokee nation opposed the treaty. -
Creeks Driven out of land
The Creek nation is driven out of their land. 3,500 of the 15,000 Creeks die on the journey to the Indian Territory. -
Cherokee Nation is forced to move to Indian Territory
only 2,000 Cherokees had actually gone to Indian territory since they had protested the treaty in the first place.
President Van Buren responds by sending a General and 7,000 troops to force the Cherokee Nation on a 1,200 mile hike at gunpoint, without food or supplies
More than 5,000 died on the journey to the Indian Territory. -
Oklahoma becomes a state
In previous years, settlers continued to move west and reduce Indian territory, which became smaller and smaller over the years.
When Oklahoma is made a state, Indian territory is reduced to nothing.
