may 28, 1830 - Indian Removal Act
Description:
Law which authorized the removal of southern Native tribes to federal territory west of the Mississippi River in exchange for white settlement of their ancestral lands. Signed by US President Andrew Jackson and strongly enforced under his administration and that of Martin Van Buren.Act stronglu supported by southern and northwestern populations, but opposed by native tribes and the Whig Party.
The Cherokee worked together to stop this relocation, but were unsuccessful, they were eventually forcibly removed by the US government in a march to the west that later became known as the "Trail of Tears".
The act has been referred to as a unitary act of systematic genocide, because it discriminated against an ethnic group in so far as to make certain the death of vast numbers of its population.
Added to timeline:
Date:
may 28, 1830
Now
~ 196 years ago