The American West Topic Summaries

Conflicts and tension in US government policy

GCSE > History > WJEC > GCSE History: The American West (1835-1895) > Early settlement (1835–1861) > Conflicts and tension in US government policy
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Key terms
  • The US government wanted to expand westwards but also tried to keep Indians and settlers apart to avoid conflict.
  • The government attempted to create a ‘Permanent Indian Frontier’ west of the Mississippi, but settlers repeatedly crossed this boundary, undermining the policy.
  • Indian Removal Act (1830): signed by President Jackson, this act forced 46,000 Native Americans to move west of the Mississippi River into the ‘Great American Desert.’ Jackson promised this would be Indian territory, protected from white settlers.
  • Indian Trade and Intercourse Act (1834): created a ‘permanent’ frontier, guarded by the US military, to separate Indian territory from eastern states to enable white settlers to move west of the Mississippi River. Whites were banned from selling alcohol or cigarettes to Indians, as these were seen as destructive to native culture.
  • US victory in the Mexican-American War (1848): the US gained huge western territories, including California, leaving Indians ‘sandwiched’ between white settlements.
  • Indian Appropriations Act (1851): the government paid for Indians to move onto reservations (especially in modern-day Oklahoma) and concentrating their populations in defined territories with the goal of ‘civilising’ them and controlling their lives. Money was provided to help with the move, but the policy failed due to continued white migration and native opposition.

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