Manifest destiny was a 19th-century belief that it was the United States' God-given right to expand its territory and spread its influence across North America. This belief had a significant impact on Native American populations, as it led to the government's policies of Indian removal and the forced relocation of Native American tribes to make way for European-American settlers.
One well-known example of this is the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which was signed into law by President Andrew Jackson. This act authorized the forced removal of Native American tribes living in the southeastern United States to land west of the Mississippi River. This led to the tragic and forced relocation of the Cherokee, Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw, and Seminole tribes, known as the Trail of Tears. This forced march resulted in the deaths of thousands of Native Americans.
Another example is the Dawes Act of 1887, which sought to assimilate Native Americans into European-American society by breaking up their communal land holdings and giving individual plots of land to Native American households. This act led to the loss of millions of acres of Native American land and contributed to the loss of Native American cultural traditions and practices.
Overall, the belief in manifest destiny had a devastating impact on Native American populations, leading to forced removal, the loss of land and cultural practices, and the death of many Native Americans.