What was the effect of manifest destiny on us-indian relations?

This is a picture of the bill proposed in 1822 to remove Indians residing east of the Mississippi River and relocate them. 

     The Indian Removal Act was passed in 1830 by President Jackson. This allowed the U.S. government to forcefully remove all Native Americans residing east of the Mississippi River. The indians would be forced to move to present day Oklahoma this journey became known as the Trail of Tears. President Jackson’s religious background influenced his belief that the land should belong to skilled Americans. 

An oil painting by Robert Lindneux in 1942 depicting the relocation to the west Indians faced known as the Trail of Tears.

     This Act was influenced by the ideology of manifest destiny because it was based on a racial hierarchy with Americans at the top. According to the racial hierarchy Americans were superior to all other races because they were the chosen ones. However, this piece of legislative sparked national debate since not all Americans agreed to inhumane treatment of another race. One of the major actors against the removal of the indians was Representative Edward Everett. He presented humanitarian and ethical consequences of relocating them (Register). This event showcased how American perspective changed from treating Native Americans as foreigners to a domestic dependent nation. Americans no longer felt it was necessary to create peaceful agreements with the Native Americans and would simply decide their fate for them. 

This map created by the United States government in 1836 depicts relocation areas for Indians west of Missouri and Arkansas.

     Even though a majority of Indian’s abided by the regulations stated in the Indian Removal Act certain tribes protested their relocation. One of the tribes were the Cherokee’s who fought to stay on their land because it was “the land of [their] fathers” ("Address"). However, the United States would fight against their protests claiming the land belonged to the United States and so the government had the rights to the people residing on it. 

Letter from Thomas Jefferson to William Henry Harrison

At the turn of the nineteenth century, the American public began exploring the idea of expansion. Thomas Jefferson began to push toward expansion, beliveing it would be a smart economic move. He wished for Native Americans to be moved off their land in order for white settlers to begin expanding west. Jefferson viewed the Native Americans as equals, however belived they lived an inferior lifestyle. It was under this belief that, America expanding would benefit the Native American people and improve their way of life; if they chose to stay. In a letter to William Henry Harrison, Jefferson exclaims, in order for the country to be prosperious, the American government must move in on the Native American lands. Jefferson states,  "We observe that when these debts get beyond what the individuals can pay, they become willing to lop them off by a cession of lands . . . this way our settlement will gradually circumscribe & approach the Indians, & they will in time either incorporate with us as citizens of the US or remove beyond the Mississippi". Jefferson did not wish to push viloence on the Indian tribes, but belived the United States had an obligation to expanding west.

The Louisana Purchase was a large aquisiton of land in 1803 from the nation of France. At a price of then $15,000,000 the United States gained 900,000 miles of land in what is currently the midwest. Although the transaction left France not happy, the American government had felt the puchase to be a stepping stone into economic prosperity Thomas Jefferson used the Louisiana Purchase to jusify settlers moving west and hoped the Native American tribes would mirgrate west to make room. However, opinion regarding the Native Americans residence in the government began to lean toward removing the Native Ameicans from their land. James Monroe further expanded on Jefferson's ideology, but stated that Native Americans cannot assimilate into American society and they should be removed from their land. Monroe justifies the removal by exclaiming it would be for their own good; "The removal of the tribes from the territory which they now inhabit . . . would not only shield them from impending ruin, but promote their welfare and happiness". It is this belief that perpetuated the Native Americans' society to be inferior and white settlement would benefit no only Americans, but Indians would also benefit from being relocated.

Westward movement had been an American priority before the 19th century. As soon as the English colonized North America, they hoped to conquer the vast wilderness to the west.

Spreading settlements along the country’s borders caused friction with others. The intervention of the U.S. government often resulted in the annexation of more territory.

Some historians have stressed the role of government and influential corporations, which had the ability to overwhelm indigenous populations during the pursuit of land and resources.

Military strength led to a second wave of Manifest Destiny in the late 19th century.

Indigenous populations suffered through armed conflict and forced relocation.

The sparsely populated western regions of the continent became folded into a nation with enormous potential for power. The hundreds of thousands of settlers who moved west established new communities.

New territories gave the country access to greater natural resources and the Pacific trade. But the acquisition of new territories also revived the debate over slavery and its expansion, an issue that would lead to the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861.

How did the Manifest Destiny affect the lives and culture of native americans during the 1800’s? Manifest Destiny was devastating for the cultures of the majority of Native Americans tribes and even ended tribes completely. Manifest destiny was the idea that the United State would continue to expand in North America and that it “was God’s will”, that they would gain more power and and. This however affected native americans heavily because as the United States became aggressive and took more land after wars that occurred in that time period.Events such as the Trail of Tears, and the First Seminole War, and other events similar greatly affected the native

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