What caused the Trail of Tears?

The
Trail of Tears was the name given to the forced relocation of Native-American tribes from their
ancestral homelands in the Southeastern United States to west of the Mississippi. The impetus
for this notorious policy was the Indian Removal Act of 1830. Prior to this, successive American
governments had tolerated the existence of Native-American tribes in the Southern states so long
as they could be culturally assimilated. However, President...