Describe, discuss and explain the significance of the Indian Removal Act - Article Example

Significance of Indian Removal Act Introduction Indian removal Act was a federal law that permitted the president to give the Indians public lands in the west to Indians that were residing in the Eastern States in exchange for the removal from the West of the Mississippi River (Stewart, 2007). The Act made that Indians could not be parties to or any witnesses to in court cases that involved the White American population. The act also made Cherokees to declare themselves as an independent state within Georgia but the Supreme Court ruled that Cherokees were not nation or a state within Georgia (Stewart, 2007).

The Act resulted to Seminole War that lasted between 1835 to 1842, and cost Jackson administration almost 60 million dollars. The law made Cherokees develop their own written language, print newspapers and resist any forceful evictions. The Supreme Court decision asserted that Georgia had no authority over the Cherokees and their lands but the president ignored the court ruling. In 1836, Georgia Militia attacked several Creeks and forced about 15,000 Creeks to move to the West of Mississippi (Stewart, 2007).

In 1835, the Treaty of New Echota was signed ceding all Cherokee land for $ 5.6 million and their free transportation to the West of Mississippi. This led to the trail of tears whereby more than 16,000 migrating Cherokees died. The Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creeks, Cherokees and Seminoles travel from their lands was marked with diseases such as Cholera, death from starvation and inadequate food supplies (Stewart, 2007). The Indian removal act gave European American farmers a claim on the land that was initially occupied by the Five Civilized Tribes and opportunity for intense agricultural activity.

Generally, the Indian removal act was oppressive and led to Seminole wars from 1835 to 1842 and trail of tears from 1838 to 1839. The US army troops forced the Indian troops to abandon their traditional lands (Stewart, 2007).Conclusion The Indian removal act that was signed in to law by President Jackson led to massive federal spending on wars and relocation. Cherokees heavily resisted the law through a court decision by the president chose to ignore the ruling. The Act led to Seminole Wars and Trail of tears whereby many affected individual dies due to wars, disease and starvation (Stewart, 2007).

Works cited:Stewart, M. (2007). The Indian removal Act: a forced relocation. Minneapolis. Compass Point Books.