Final answer:
Settlers asked for help from local militias and the federal government when conflicts arose with American Indians. Government interventions led to strategies like the Indian Removal Act and the Trail of Tears, significantly impacting Native American lives and leading to the Indian Wars.
Step-by-step explanation:
As fighting erupted between the new settlers and the American Indians, the settlers most commonly sought help and protection from local militias and, as conflict escalated, from the federal government. During the era of westward expansion, settlers increasingly encroached on Native American lands, giving rise to violent clashes that necessitated government intervention. The settlers' plea for aid resulted in various strategies such as negotiating treaties, deploying state militia forces, and enacting federal policies aimed at removing Native Americans from their ancestral lands, which included the Indian Removal Act of 1830 and violent confrontations leading to the Indian Wars.
Notable historical episodes, such as the Trail of Tears, stand as tragic examples of the lengths to which the U.S. government went to solve the so-called "Indian problem." These efforts often included forced relocation and warfare, ultimately transforming the American Indian way of life and sparking a debate about Native American policies.