What did the Indian Removal Act of 1830 lead to?

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was a significant piece of legislation that authorized the federal government to remove Native American tribes from their ancestral homelands in the eastern United States and relocate them to designated territories west of the Mississippi River. This act primarily targeted tribes such as the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole, among others, and it led to a series of forced removals known as the "Trail of Tears." The law was justified by the belief that it would allow for westward expansion and agricultural development while supposedly protecting Native American interests by moving them to lands less desirable to white settlers.

The establishment of reservations for Native Americans did occur later, but it was not a direct result of the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Instead, it came as a part of a later policy concerning Native American relations. Granting citizenship to Native Americans was not addressed by the act; in fact, many Native Americans would not gain citizenship until the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. Furthermore, the Indian Removal Act did not end all Native American treaties; treaties continued to be made and broken throughout the 19th century despite the removal policies.

Thus, the forced relocation of Native American tribes to the west is the