Andrew Jackson's
policy toward Native Americans has been viewed skeptically by historians. It is best known for
the Indian Removal Act, which was first proposed by Jackson during his 1829 State of the Union
address and later championed through Congress by him. Jackson signed the act into law on May 28,
1830.
Prior to the Indian Removal Act, George Washington had treated Indian
nations as sovereign states with whom treaties had to be negotiated, a policy more or less
followed by his successors. This changed with the passage of the Indian Removal Act. While the
act, officially, permitted the president to barter with Indian tribes for lands in the unsettled
West if the tribes would cede more desirable eastern territory, Jackson's use of the military to
coerce resettlement saw 100,000 Native Americans compelled to relocate, in some cases leading to
open conflict, such as during the Seminole Wars in Florida.
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