The United States government's Indian Removal policy of the 1830s involved forcibly removing Native American tribes from their ancestral lands and forcing them to relocate west of the Mississippi River. The Cherokee Nation, for example, signed more than forty treaties ceding their lands to the U.S., including the Trail of Tears.

In Worcester v. Georgia (1842), the Supreme Court ruled that Congress could not pass a law authorizing removal without compensation or just compensation. President Andrew Jackson's message in his annual message to Congress on May 28, 1830, justified the forced removal as necessary to protect settlers' rights and property.

On December 6, 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law authorizing the president to grant lands west of the Mississippi River in exchange for Indian lands within existing state borders.

Cherokee Nation opposition to the treaty was significant; they sought additional compensation and were willing to remain east of the Mississippi River.

During detention and removal, the Cherokee Nation faced harsh conditions such as malnutrition and disease.

The Choctaws, Creeks, Chickasaws, Seminole, and other Native peoples also faced forced removal when evidence supports it.
The roles of the U.S. military, state governments, the U.S. Department of Justice, and the federal government varied in terms of authority and responsibility during the Indian Removal Policy of the 1830s.
Jackson's administration played a role in the passage of the act and the subsequent removal.
Congress had jurisdiction over the issue and passed the act.
