Skip navigation
Timeline / Defining Rights and Responsibilities / 1831: The Removal Act affects Choctaw first

1831: The Removal Act affects Choctaw first

The Removal Act that President Andrew Jackson pressed through Congress becomes a reality as the Choctaw are forcibly relocated to Indian Territory (which is now known as Oklahoma). Thousands—nearly one-third of the Choctaw Nation—die of starvation, exposure, and disease on the more than 500-mile journey. Disease, early death, and ill health plague the Choctaw for many generations after removal.

Theme
Federal-Tribal Relations, Land and Water
Region
Great Plains, Southeast

This early 1840s image shows an unidentified Indian encampment in what is now known as Oklahoma

Courtesy Library of Congress