Final answer:
President Andrew Jackson supported the Indian removal policy because white settlers desired the land inhabited by Native Americans. The 1830 Indian Removal Act, passed during his presidency, displaced several tribes under the guise of voluntary relocation but was primarily enforced through coercion, reflecting the racial prejudices of the period.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the 1830s, President Andrew Jackson supported the Indian removal policy primarily because white settlers desired the land on which Native American Indians lived. The policy was a reflection of the pervasive racial prejudices and desires for expansion that characterized the Age of Jackson. This era was marked by a belief among many white Americans that Native peoples had no place within their republic, an attitude that played a significant role in the widespread support for the 1830 Indian Removal Act.
Pro-Jackson newspapers depicted him as a proponent of white settlement and portrayed his commitment to the removal as a step toward progress and civilization. Under Jackson’s presidency, the Indian Removal Act was passed, which led to the displacement of several tribes, including the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole, to lands west of the Mississippi River, in what is present-day Oklahoma. This act represents one of the defining features of Jackson's presidency and a pivotal moment in American history.
While the act was theoretically supposed to be voluntary for native tribes, in reality, it resulted in substantial pressure and coercion to force their relocation. This period in American history not only reflects Andrew Jackson's policies but also the broader societal attitudes of the time.