What policy did Andrew Jackson pursue toward Native Americans, and what was the outcome?

• A. The assimilation and grant of full citizenship to tribes in the Southeast.
• B. The creation of the Indian reservation system in the Northwest.
• C. The Indian Removal policy, which led to the forced relocation known as the Trail of Tears.
• D. The establishment of tribal independence and self-governance in all territories.

Answer: (C)

The policy being tested is a removal approach toward Native Americans. Andrew Jackson pushed the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which authorized uprooting tribes living east of the Mississippi and moving them to lands west of the river. The outcome was forced relocation on a large scale, most famously the Cherokee’s journey, known as the Trail of Tears, where thousands died from exposure, disease, and hunger during the trip to what is now Oklahoma. This policy opened eastern lands to white settlement and showed the federal government prioritizing expansion over tribal sovereignty, despite some legal challenges at the time.