Native Americans before European contact

Welcome to U.S. Founding and Constitution! In this lesson, we'll explore native americans before european contact. Understanding history and society helps us become informed citizens.

Manifest Destiny was the 19th-century belief that the United States was destined to expand across North America. This ideology justified westward expansion but came at enormous cost to Native American peoples. The Indian Removal Act (1830), signed by President Andrew Jackson, forced the relocation of Native nations (including the Cherokee, Creek, and Choctaw) from their homelands in the Southeast to west of the Mississippi. The Trail of Tears (1838–39) was the forced march of the Cherokee Nation; approximately 4,000 people died. As settlers moved west, conflicts over land, resources, and treaties were constant; by the late 1880s, most Native lands had been taken and many nations confined to reservations. This history of displacement, broken treaties, and cultural destruction is a foundational element of American history that continues to shape Native communities' experiences and legal rights today.

As you work through today's material, pay attention to the examples and try to identify the patterns or strategies being used. This will help you apply these concepts to new problems.

Take notes on key points and make connections to what you've already learned in previous lessons.