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Article: Indian Removal
- Article from:
- Dictionary of American History
- Author:
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INDIAN REMOVAL
INDIAN REMOVAL.
Indian removal, which involved transferring lands in the trans-Mississippi West to Native American groups who gave up their homelands east of the Mississippi, dominated U.S. government Indian policy between the War of 1812 and the middle of the nineteenth century. This practice, although not without detractors, had the support of several very important groups: speculators who coveted Indian lands, uneasy eastern settlers who feared Indian attacks, and missionary groups who felt that relocation would save the Indians from the degrading influences of their white neighbors.
Development of the Policy
The seeds of a removal program were sown in the series of ...