In the late 1820s, gold was discovered on Cherokee land. Click on the image below to see a map of where it was found.

People from the neighboring state of Georgia wanted that gold. Georgia passed laws that took away Cherokee rights and started giving away Cherokee land to Georgians. When the Cherokees protested to the U.S. government, they found that the new president, Andrew Jackson, would not help them.

In 1830, with Jackson's support, Congress passed the Indian Removal Act. The act gave Native Americans new land west of the Mississippi River in return for their giving up their land in the Southeast. The Cherokees knew this was unfair, and they were determined to fight the Act.