Westward Expansion, Native Land Dispossession, and American Identity

These flashcards cover key concepts from the lecture on Westward Expansion, Native Land Dispossession, and American Identity.

Cultural encounters

Interactions between different cultures, particularly between British settlers and Indigenous peoples in North America.

Puritan New England

A region characterized by the religious and cultural practices of Puritan settlers, particularly their beliefs regarding land use and ownership.

Indian Removal Act

A policy initiated by President Andrew Jackson in 1830 that authorized the forced displacement of Native Americans from their ancestral lands.

Northwest Ordinance

An 1787 legislation that established a framework for governing the Northwestern Territory and the process of admitting new states to the Union.

Johnson v. McIntosh

A landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision (1823) that established the principle that private citizens could not purchase land from Native Americans.

Trail of Tears

The forced relocation of Native Americans, particularly the Cherokee, from their homelands to designated Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River.

Native sovereignty

The right of Native American tribes to self-govern and maintain authority over their own lands and people.

American colonialism

The expansionist policies and practices of the United States that involved the takeover of Indigenous lands.

Expansionism

The policy of territorial or economic expansion, prevalent in U.S. history, particularly after the American Revolution.

Cultural politics

The ways in which cultural expressions shape and are shaped by power dynamics and political contexts.