Events Leading To
Prior to the Indian Removal Act of 1830, Native Americans were largely left alone on their ancestral lands, living communally in peace unless they came into contact with Europeans and or Americans. This changed in the early 19th century, as Americans sought to expand westward.
By 1830, the United States was a growing and developing nation. The manufacturing sector was rapidly developing in the north while in the south, agriculture fueled the economy, helped in large part by the invention of the cotton gin. Unfortunately agriculture requires land, and Native Americans occupied large sections of this land in the south.
¨The rapid settlement of land east of the Mississippi River made it clear by the mid-1820s that the white man would not tolerate the presence of even peaceful Indians there.¨ (Britannica)
¨The discovery of gold on Cherokee land in Georgia (1828–29) catalyzed political efforts to divest all Indians east of the Mississippi River of their property.¨ (Britannica)
Native Americans stood directly in the way of white prosperity and growth, occupying these western lands. Therefore, Native Americans quickly became viewed as obstacles in the quest for expansion and as a result conflicts arose.