Primary Source Spotlight: Indian Removal

These primary sources and teaching resources relate to the removal of Native Americans from their ancestral lands.

Documents related to the Indian Removal Act of 1830

• A Bill to provide for an exchange of lands with the Indians residing in any of the States or Territories, and for their removal West of the river Mississippi (S. 102) February 22, 1830
• Senate debated the above bill (S. 102) and then voted 28 to 19 to pass the Indian Removal Act April 24, 1830
• House of Representatives voted 102 to 97 to pass the Indian Removal Act May 26, 1830
• President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law May 28, 1830
• President Andrew Jackson outlined his Indian removal policy in his Second Annual Message to Congress (2nd paragraph, 2nd column) December 6, 1830

Cherokee Nation Denied Foreign Nation Status (Cherokee Nation v. The State of Georgia) 1831

Native American Legal Struggles in Primary Sources Teaching with the Library of Congress blog November 4, 2014

Primary source activities & lessons

• Learning from the Source: Indian Territory Resettlement
• The 1830 Indian Removal Act and the Trail of Tears in Southern Illinois
• Indian Removal: The Ohio River Valley, 1750-1820
• Indian Boarding Schools: Civilizing the Native Spirit
• American Indian Reservation Controversies