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After the War of 1812
Indian claims to land were the biggest obstacle to American expansion. After the War of 1812,the U.S. government was determined to remove them. Their original plan was to absorb them into American culture. This would make them slowly let go of their ways. Later on, Indian removal became the preferred method of expansion. Tribes that lived in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin were moved west of the Mississippi. White men had not settled there yet. -
Government Tries to Remove Native Americans
The federal government tried to make the Native Americans go into debt so that they would have to leave to pay off their debts. Some traders worked with both sides. They would trade with Native Americans to keep and income, but then they would use their government connections to be the first to gain land. -
The Indian Removal Act of 1830
Congress passed the Indian Removal Act in 1830 which gave Andrew Jackson the right to forcibly move Indians westward. Many Hoosiers were glad about this because they were eager to use the land. Jackson said that removal would help the Indians by getting them away from white culture. It would allow them to adapt to American culture at their own pace. The Indians did not want to leave their land. -
The Potawatomi Sign 9 Treaties
In 1836, the Potawatomi signed 9 treaties that gave their remaining reservations in Indiana to the United States. The United States paid them 1 dollar for every acre. The Indians had 2 years to move off their land. The Treaty of Yellow River was the most controversial treaty because 3 chiefs signed it and they gave away chief Menominee’s reservation, even though he did not sign it. -
Trail of Death Begins
On September 4th, 1838, the exodus to Kansas, which came to be known as the Potawatomi Trail of Death, began. More than 850 Potawatomi marched under armed guard. Rebellious chiefs were confined in cages. -
Traveling through Mississippi and Missouri
On October 10, the Potawatomi crossed the Mississippi River in ferry boats and entered Missouri. It took almost a month to get through Missouri, which include crossing the Missouri River. -
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Reaching Kansas
On November 2nd, the Indians reached Kansas and on November 4th, 1838, they reached Osawatomie, Kansas. They had traveled 660 miles in two months. -
A Chief Makes a Statement
A chief made a statement to Judge William Polke. He said, “They had now arrived at their journey’s end, and that the government must now be satisfied. They had been taken from homes affording them plenty and brought them to a desert, a wilderness, and were now to be scattered and left as the husbandsman scatters his seed.”
