Background:
Two conflicting policies have governed this country’s
treatment of Native Americans -- assimilation and removal.
As the United States expanded into more Indian Territory
it became necessary to issue formal policy statements
and make treaties. Besides providing for a methodical
process of colonization and future statehood, the Northwest
Ordinance of 1787 initiated a policy regarding the treatment
of Native Americans, which encouraged fair and equal treatment.
By the 1820s Native Americans had demonstrated the ability
to adapt to their changing environment, but federal policies
began to shift as expansion progressed and land became
more valuable. When Jackson took office in 1828, 125,000
Native Americans occupied millions of acres of valuable
land in Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Emerging
political questions began to revolve around whether
Native Americans would be permitted to block the tide
of white expansion into these and other areas. Federal
policy would culminate with the Indian Removal Act of
1830.
Essential Question:
How did federal policy toward Native Americans change
between the times of the Washington and Jackson presidencies?
Materials:
Primary Documents
Other Materials
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