Engage

Overview

In this experience, students investigate how the Indian Removal Act and court rulings shaped U.S. policy toward Indigenous nations. First, they analyze a map to consider pressures on Native land during Jackson’s presidency and generate questions about removal. Next, students study the causes and terms of the Indian Removal Act and examine Cherokee resistance through two major Supreme Court cases, Cherokee Nation v. Georgia and Worcester v. Georgia. Then, students connect these cases to Johnson v. M’Intosh and the Doctrine of Discovery to see how earlier European ideas about land ownership influenced U.S. law. Finally, the Elaborate scene invites students to evaluate President Jackson’s address to the Cherokee, analyzing how his combination of promises, warnings, and threats revealed the limits on Indigenous rights in the 1830s.

Estimated Duration: 45–60 minutes

Vocabulary:

abolish: to officially end something, such as a law or practice
dependent: a person or group that relies on another for support, such as food, shelter, or care
Doctrine of Discovery: a belief used by European countries to claim land by saying they had the right to take land not ruled by Christians
Indian Removal Act of 1830: a law passed by the U.S. government that forced many Indigenous Nations to move west of the Mississippi River

Objectives:

Explain the causes and terms of the Indian Removal Act.
Analyze how court cases and legal doctrines reflected limits on Indigenous rights in the Jacksonian era.

Maps can tell powerful stories about movement and change over time. Study this one to uncover what it reveals about U.S. history in the 1830s.

Evaluate the map by following these steps:

Observe it: Circle a feature, symbol, or boundary on the map that stands out to you.
Connect It: Label something that reminds you of what you already know about Andrew Jackson’s presidency.
Question It: Place a question mark where the map makes you curious or raises a new question.

This map activity is designed to guide students in surfacing prior knowledge and raising meaningful questions. You will likely have students circling, labeling, and placing question marks on many different parts of the image. That is ok. The goal is to surface thinking, not have a right answer. As students share what they identified on the map, draw attention to the range of features they noticed and encourage them to explain why those details stood out. When students share their connections, highlight how they are linking the map to what they already know about Jackson’s presidency, noting both accurate understandings and areas that may need revisiting later. As students share their questions, use them to draw out themes of movement, boundaries, and government decisions so that the class begins to see the larger tensions of this period. This prepares students for the introduction of the Indian Removal Act in the next scene.

In this experience, you will learn why the Indian Removal Act was created, what its main terms required, and how legal traditions shaped Indigenous rights during the Jackson era.

Objectives:

Explain the causes and terms of the Indian Removal Act.
Analyze how court cases and legal doctrines reflected limits on Indigenous rights in the Jacksonian era.