This Day in History – May 28, 1830 Andrew Jackson Signs Indian Removal Act
Known as Indian-killer President
This Day in History
Published May 28, 2020
WASHINGTON – On this day in 1830, 190 years ago, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act.
The Act established a process whereby the president could grant land west of the Mississippi River to Indian tribes that agreed to give up their homelands. As incentives, the law allowed the Indians financial and material assistance to travel to their new locations and start new lives and guaranteed that the Indians would live on their new property under the protection of the United States Government forever.
With the Act in place, Jackson and his followers were free to persuade, bribe, and threaten tribes into signing removal treaties and leaving the Southeast.
By the end of his presidency, he had signed into law almost seventy removal treaties, the result of which was to move nearly 50,000 eastern Indians to Indian Territory—defined as the region belonging to the United States west of the Mississippi River but excluding the states of Missouri and Iowa as well as the Territory of Arkansas—and open millions of acres of rich land east of the Mississippi to white settlers. Despite the vastness of the Indian Territory, the government intended that the Indians’ destination would be a more confined area—what later became eastern Oklahoma.
The Indian Removal Act set in motion the Trail of Tears, which attributed to the genocide of thousands of American Indians and the death of one-quarter Cherokee people. For this reason, Jackson is referred to by American Indians as the “Indian-killer” president and does not feel he should be honored or celebrated in any fashion.
About The Author
Editor
Levi Rickert, a tribal citizen of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, is the publisher and editor of Native News Online. Previously, he served as editor of the Native News Network. He is a resident of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Thanks for the rememberance. you should write about the trail from Mi, Ohio and the Tribes around what became Fort Wayne after the removals, the story of Prophet Town, the walk through Illinois and beyond. It was local history that was never part of my early years there., on what was, once, one of the words largest estuaries for migrant birds…the south shores of Lk. Mi.
Not everyone thinks Jackson was great. His greed overshadowed any good he may have done.
I agree. This guy was a butcher and does not deserve any respect.
Donald Trump hung a portrait of Andrew Jackson on the wall behind his desk in the oval office.
This is Donald Trumps hero.
History is jammed packed with human tragedy but you can’t change history. But if people keep beating a dead horse, the country will never move forward to change things. If you’re an alcoholic, change won’t come until you make the effort to change. Taking down monuments from the civil war changes nothing. It’s what is in a persons heart that makes the difference. A liberal ideology has proven itself to be a total failure when it comes to common sense. President Trump won the action, the left lost. Its over now, move on and quit looking to make excuses for your failed ideology. But as long as the state of California continues to spread their craziness throughout the land, its believers will meander like fish out of wAter living in that utopia that only exists inside an empty head.
“Phd.”-I doubt it. From which University?
its either ‘Post hole Digger” or matchbox U. (vanity by the dollar)
The left didn’t lose Hillary Clinton and the DNC lost. The left is as present as ever but the corporation controlled Duopoly Party of America keeps managing to convince or rather divide the populous and retain control. Be the Republicans or Democrats in “power” is still the corporation that is the big winner at the cost of the people.
Bob D. I disagree with your 3 year old comment, we can’t change history but we can learn from it especially when history shows us in humane treatment of human beings. Trump only won because Putin used a cyberattack on our election but put that aside. Cruelty is never an acceptable behavior nor is celebrating the Civil War where so many were killed in action. You don’t understand that the Southern States decided to remove themselves from the United States to fight this war which makes them at the time traitors to the United States. The people of the United States does not celebrate other countries that we’ve been to war with to preserve our freedom and our values. This is the reason that the Confederacy should not be celebrated they decided to remove themselves by separating from the United States. to start a war with the majority of the United States.
You were doing pretty well there, until you alluded to” California spreading their craziness throughout the land”. Not sure where you got your PHD, but the foremost institutions in many areas of the sciences and academia , are not promoters of meandering fish living in an imaginable utopia. Your delusional comment about “left” and “liberal” and meandering fish proves your lack of mentality and ignorance. You are being hand fed by the powers that be, that are taking down this country on daily basis, hourly . Fish love being hand fed too, as you well know. But, us fish are in the frying pan of conservative dogma, served up with vile lie sauces and sour face lemons.
I agree. History is History we must learn and not repeat. We as people no matter race, need to heal and unit as one to make our Nation the Greatest it can be. Take care of everyone no matter wealth or health. There is no reason to be mean or nasty to one another that is senseless and a waste of energy. Love one another.
When I see Trump has hung this portrait in the Oval office I think every American should feel insulted. We can’t change history but we don’t have to celebrate anyone that’s behavior is so abhorrent that a President in 2020 celebrates Jackson by putting his picture up in the oval office. It’s akin to running around with the Civil war Confederate flag or celebrating Nazi’s as ‘good people too’ disgusting and wrong to celebrate behavior that is destructive and inhumane, it sickens me . Stay healthy, Hugs to all
stories like this need to be in schools in all schools so people would know what the presidents did back then to know the truth but the white people won’t do this because they don’t want the kids to know the truth what happened back then and what these presidents were really like and that is sad
Andrew jackson is so evil and he was somewhat an enslaver and dictator than just a president!
Congressman David Crockett was the only member to vote against this. For this heroic stand, he was defeated in his next election by his former Friend President Jackson.