Andrew Jackson has long been an advocate of "Indian removal" because of his belief in the superiority of white civilization and his goal of expanding and consolidating the power of the United States. Jackson saw Native American tribes as obstacles to this goal, as their presence on valuable land hindered white settlement and economic development. Jackson also believed that the government had a duty to protect its citizens and their property, and saw Native Americans as a threat to this security. As a result, he drove forward policies such as the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which forcibly relocated thousands of Native Americans from their ancestral lands onto reservations in the West. Jackson's actions were driven by a combination of racist beliefs, political expediency, and a desire for territorial expansion, all of which contributed to his fervent advocacy of Indian removal.
