Many Americans used the Manifest Destiny, the belief that Americans were “destined” to expand from coast to coast, to support taking the land they wanted. One of the main reasons they were so set on getting these specific pieces of land was in large part due to the fact that gold had recently been found in Georgia, prompting a sort of “gold fever.” In addition to the gold fever, this land was great for farming cotton, which was referred to as “white gold” because of how profitable it was. This was also during a time when racism was still running rampant Slavery was still legal and widespread. Native Americans, along with all other races, were seen as lesser than white men. They were thought to be uncivilized savages. White Americans’ solution was to make the Native Americans like themselves, erasing the culture and replacing it with their own. Some White Americans, however, did not even attempt this, for their goal was to earn money, not make friends.
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 …show more content…
This document, known as the Indian Removal Act, granted the federal government the power to trade land with Native Americans living east of the Mississippi for land on the west of the Mississippi. The Indian Removal Act was meant to make the government exchange land only if it was wanted by both parties, however, Jackson did not care. He forced Native Americans to leave their homes, against their wills, on foot, where many died due to exposure, cholera, or starvation. Native Americans, such as the Creek, Choctaw, Seminoles, Chickasaw, and Cherokee tribes used much land in modern day Georgia, Florida, North Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee. Native Americans weren’t removed from their homes solely in the South, however. Northern states such as Illinois and Wisconsin pushed out the Sioux and the Fox