Final answer:
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 led to forced relocations of Native Americans from east of the Mississippi River to lands west of it, resulting in widespread suffering and death, known as the Trail of Tears, but did not explicitly call for ethnic cleansing.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was a federal law passed by Congress that mandated the removal of Native American tribes living east of the Mississippi River to lands west of the river. The primary goal of this act was to make more land available for white settlers. While the language of the act did not explicitly call for ethnic cleansing, the implementation of the law led to the suffering and deaths of thousands of Native Americans. Not all tribes went willingly, and resistance was met with force. The subsequent relocations, such as the infamous Trail of Tears, involved great hardship and high mortality rates due to exposure, disease, and starvation.
President Andrew Jackson, a driving force behind the passage of the Act, framed it as a necessity for American progress and civilization, though in practice it largely disregarded the welfare of Native American communities. The removal of the 'Five Civilized Tribes'—the Cherokee, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw, and Seminole—resulted in a tragic chapter in American history known as the Trail of Tears. Thousands of Native Americans died during forced removals, exemplifying the brutal consequences of the Indian Removal Act.