Final answer:
President Andrew Jackson called for and signed into law the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which led to the forced relocation of Native American tribes, most notably the Five Civilized Tribes, resulting in the Trail of Tears.
Step-by-step explanation:
The individual who called for the Indian Removal Act in his State of the Union Message and eventually signed the act into law was President Andrew Jackson. With a reputation as an Indian fighter, Jackson had intimate knowledge of Native American nations such as the Cherokee and Creek. Jackson urged Congress to pass the Indian Removal Act, arguing that civilization and progress required the removal of Native American tribes from lands east of the Mississippi River. The act, which was narrowly passed by Congress in 1830, led to detrimental effects on Native tribes, notably the Five Civilized Tribes, and marked a significant development of tensions between the political parties of the time—Whigs and Democrats. Although the act theoretically allowed for voluntary removal, in reality, Indigenous peoples faced significant pressure to leave their homelands, and this policy resulted in the infamous Trail of Tears, a series of forced relocations that led to extreme hardship and the deaths of thousands.