Sources & Interpretation
Read our main argument and see how each source contributes to understanding Indian Removal as a long, unjust process of dispossession and forced relocation.
Indian Removal: Law, Power, and Suffering
A short digital history project exploring how U.S. laws, political rhetoric, and personal experiences reveal the injustice of Indian Removal.
What This Project Is About
This site examines Indian Removal in the early nineteenth century through four key sources: an early treaty with the Cherokee, the Indian Removal Act of 1830, President Andrew Jackson’s message to Congress, and family stories from the Trail of Tears. Together, these sources show how the United States used its power to take Native homelands, justify forced migration, and cause deep suffering for Native communities.
The goal of this project is to help visitors see how official documents and political speeches often hide the human cost of policy decisions, and how personal stories reveal the reality behind those words.
Authors
Meet the students behind this project and learn why we chose to focus on Indian Removal and the Trail of Tears.