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Indian Removal Act
The first major step to relocate American Indians came when Congress passed, and President Andrew Jackson signed, the Indian Removal Act -
Civil War of 1831
The American Civil War was a civil war in the United States between the Union and the Confederacy, which was formed in 1861 by states that had seceded from the Union. -
Trail of Tears
They were relocated to an area of land then known as Indian Territory, now the state of Oklahoma. This tragic event is referred to as the Trail of Tears. -
Reconstruction Treaties
following the Civil War, each of the Five Tribes entered into treaties with the United States containing provisions addressing the status and rights of freed slaves and persons of African descent residing among the Five Tribes. -
Dawes Act
An Act to Provide for the Allotment of Lands in Severalty to Indians on the Various Reservations," known as the Dawes Act, emphasized severalty – the treatment of Native Americans as individuals rather than as members of tribes. -
Oklahoma Land Rush
Was a day of chaos, excitement, and utter confusion. Men and women rushed to claim homesteads or to purchase lots in one of the many new towns that sprang into existence overnight. An estimated eleven thousand agricultural homesteads were claimed. -
Indian Reorganization Act
Granted a new degree of autonomy to Native Americans in the United States, giving them greater control over their lands and allowing them to form legally recognized tribal governments.