Question

americans justified the forced removal of native americans to lands west of the mississippi river because: question 1 options: a) smallpox epidemics had devastated native communities and white reformers hoped moving them to reservations would make it easier to inoculate them. b) they believed white farmers would make better use of the land and resources than the indigenous inhabitants. c) the lands in the great plains were more fertile for indian crops like corn, so removal was actually seen as providing nutritional benefits to natives. d) all of the above.

Answer 1

Americans justified forced Native American removal based on the belief that white settlers would use the land more effectively. The Indian Removal Act of 1830 resulted in tragic forced relocations like the 'Trail of Tears.'

Step-by-step explanation:

Americans justified the forced removal of Native Americans to lands west of the Mississippi River mainly because they believed that white settlers would make better use of the land and resources than the indigenous inhabitants. Perceptions of the West as a vast, empty land disregarded the significant populations of various tribes already residing there. After the Indian Removal Act of 1830, many Native tribes faced forced removals, such as the tragic 'Trail of Tears.' Although some reformers hoped to Americanize and assimilate Native Americans through policies and education, underlying these efforts was a widespread belief in the superiority of white settlers' land use and economy. This led to the recurrent breaching of treaties and the displacement of Native peoples.