On December 20, 1836, an Indian treaty was submitted to Congress by President Andrew Jackson. The treaty effectuated the removal of the Fox, Ioway, Otoe, Omaha, Sacs, and Sioux tribes from the Missouri territory. The removal would allow for further settlement by white Americans on the native soil of these Indian tribes.

President Andrew Jackson played a large role in shaping U.S. policy as it pertained to Native Americans—a policy that labeled these native peoples as a race inferior to white settlers. Prior to becoming president, he negotiated nine treaties that directly affected Indian tribes. After achieving the American presidency, President Jackson supported the Indian Removal Act, which resulted in the U.S. military’s removal of the Cherokee Nation by gunpoint to the Oklahoma territory. This event in history became known as the Trail of Tears, and more than 4,000 people died along the way.

Since that time in history, several attempts have been made to rectify the maltreatment of Native Americans by the United States government. Most notable is the well-publicized advocacy for equality by President Calvin Coolidge. In 1924, President Coolidge passed the Indian Citizen Act of 1924, which provided for automatic citizenship to all Indian tribes. In 1927, President Coolidge was adopted by a Sioux tribe as an honorary tribal member, despite the fact that persecution of Indian tribes was still occurring within the United States.