Indian Removal Era Begins 1828-1849
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1829
Gold discovered in Cherokee territory and lands
In violation of Cherokee treaties, thousands of American settlers invade and trespass onto Cherokee lands....Read More
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1830
“Great Death” smallpox epidemic in Alaska
A horrific smallpox epidemic strikes Alaska in the 1830s, virtually wiping out whole villages. In...Read More
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1830
U.S. policy of genocide authorized with signing of Indian Removal Act
On May 28, Andrew Jackson signs the law authorizing the President to “negotiate” with southern...Read More
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1830
Christianity is enforced and cultural practices banned in Hawai’i
Queen Ka’ahumanu, wife of Kamehameha I and regent after his death, adopts Christianity and enforces...Read More
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1831
Supreme Court rules Indian nations are not subject to state law
In Cherokee Nation v. Georgia, Chief Justice John Marshall finds that the Cherokee Nation is...Read More
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1831-1833
First Choctaw forced removal causes death of thousands
The Choctaw are the first to sign a removal treaty, the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit...Read More
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1832-1833
Second Choctaw forced removal through military operation
In 1832, under orders by President Jackson to economize, rations are decreased, and transportation is...Read More
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1832
“Black Hawk War” and massacre of the Sauk
Black Hawk, a Sauk Chief, returns to his territory for corn planting season, only to...Read More
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1832-1836
Muscogee (Creek) forced to surrender lands in Alabama
The U.S. steps up efforts to coerce Creek chiefs to sign a treaty for their...Read More
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1832
Supreme Court rules U.S. must treat tribes as nations
The third of three court cases (the “Marshall Trilogy”) that become the foundation of American...Read More
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1832
Sauk massacre at “Battle of Bad Axe” (Wisconsin)
General Henry Atkinson’s volunteer army, along with allied Dakota, murder 150 Fox and Sauk men,...Read More
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1832
President Jackson defies law and initiates Cherokee removal
President Jackson ignores the Supreme Court decision to treat tribes as nations and initiates the...Read More
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1832-1834
Unauthorized signing of Treaty of Payne’s Landing for Seminole removal
At a meeting at Payne’s Landing on the Ocklawaha River, a treaty is negotiated among...Read More
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1833
State of Georgia illegally seizes Cherokee lands and property
The State of Georgia declares Cherokee ownership of land and property illegal, and Georgia officials...Read More
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1834-1845
Removal resistance: Second Seminole War in Florida Everglades
The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, consists of a series of...Read More
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1834
Muscogee Creek forced out of Alabama
Under the U.S. Department of War, Muscogee are removed from their lands in Alabama to...Read More
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1834
Mexico refuses to return mission lands to Chumash
The newly independent Mexican government frees enslaved Chumash Indians in California (the Chumash had already...Read More
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1835
Cherokee Treaty of New Echota
John Ridge, a Cherokee leader representing only a handful of Cherokees, negotiates a treaty selling...Read More
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1835
First permanent sugar plantation established in Hawaii
In Kaua’i, William Hooper leases 980 acres of land from Kamehameha III. Within less than...Read More
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1835+
Scalp hunting in Southwest proves profitable
The profitability of scalping skyrockets in Chihuahua when they enact a scalping law and graded...Read More
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1835
Choctaw in Mississippi are attacked and driven from homes
More than 7,000 Choctaw refuse to move and stay in Mississippi under the terms of...Read More
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1835-1850
Trail of Tears
By 1850, more than 46,000 Native people are removed from their lands and relocated to...Read More
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1836
Muscogee Creek War of 1836
In retaliation for the land stealing, raping, and beatings, several Creek chiefs, including Eneah Emathla...Read More
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1836-1837
Creek Trail of Tears
At the end of the Creek War “about 2,500 Creeks, including several hundred chained warriors,...Read More
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1837
Chickasaw Trail of Tears
The U.S. Department of War forcibly removes the Chickasaw from their homelands in Mississippi, Kentucky,...Read More
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1837
Massacre of Miwok Tribe/Amador Massacre (California)
Under the command of Jose Maria Amador, Mexican colonists in northern California attack a peaceful...Read More
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1837
Johnson Massacre of Apaches (New Mexico)
The government offers 100 pesos (equivalent to one American dollar) for the scalps of Native...Read More
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1837
Congress prohibits direct payment to tribes for ceded lands
Congressional legislation states that land proceeds negotiated through treaty are to be held “in trust”...Read More
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1838
Cherokee Trail of Tears
The U.S. Department of War forcibly removes approximately 16,000 Cherokee to Indian Territory (Oklahoma). Cherokee...Read More
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1839
Missionaries establish first English-only school in Hawai’i
The Royal School is established as the first private English school in Hawai’i with the...Read More
