Which group of people was forced to leave their land as more settlers moved west?

The group of people that was forced to leave their land as more settlers moved west were the Native American tribes. During the 19th century, in a period often referred to as the westward expansion of the United States, many Native American tribes were forcibly removed from their ancestral homelands to make way for new settlers and to open up territory for agricultural and resource purposes. This process of removal, often coercive and sometimes violent, is most infamously exemplified by events such as the Trail of Tears in which members of the Cherokee, Muscogee (Creek), Seminole, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations, among others, were removed from their lands in the Southeastern United States and relocated to designated Indian Territory, present-day Oklahoma, under the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

The westward expansion that occurred in the United States is a critical aspect of American history. The belief in the manifest destiny— the idea that Americans were destined to expand across the continent— drove the push westward. As settlers moved west in search of new land and opportunities, they encountered the Native American tribes who had been living on this land for thousands of years. The U.S. government, representing the interests of the settlers, negotiated treaties with Native Americans, but these agreements were often unfair and were broken, leading to a series of conflicts known as the Indian Wars.

The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was a policy enacted by President Andrew Jackson which authorized the forced relocation of Native American tribes to lands west of the Mississippi River. The removals included many instances of hardship and tragedy, with the Trail of Tears being one of the most notorious. The journey was harsh and treacherous; it is estimated that around 4,000 Cherokee people died due to disease, exposure, and starvation during the journey.

These forced relocations had a huge and lasting impact on Native American cultures. The removal severed these people from their historical roots, disrupted their ways of life, and exposed them to new and often hostile environments. The effort to absorb lands for westward expansion had devastating effects on Native Americans, effects that are still felt in many communities to this day.

Understanding the history of westward expansion and its impact on Native American communities is important to grasp the full narrative of the United States and the complexities of its growth as a nation. It also provides a context for continuing discussions about the rights of indigenous peoples, issues of justice, and cultural preservation.