what was the indian removal act

The Indian Removal Act was a law signed by President Andrew Jackson on May 28, 1830, authorizing the president to grant lands west of the Mississippi in exchange for Indian lands within existing state borders. The Act established a process whereby the President could grant land west of the Mississippi River to Indian tribes that agreed to give up their homelands. The goal was to remove all American Indians living in existing states and territories and send them to unsettled land in the west. While some tribes went peacefully, many resisted the relocation policy, and during the fall and winter of 1838 and 1839, the Cherokees were forcibly moved west by the United States government. The Indian Removal Act was controversial, and many Americans during this time favored its passage, but there was also significant opposition. Many Christian missionaries protested against it, and some members of Congress spoke out against the legislation. Despite the opposition, the Act was passed by a narrow majority in Congress and signed into law by President Jackson.