The American West (c1835-c1895): The Permanent Indian Frontier

Throughout the 19^th Century US government policy aimed to keep whites and Plains Indians separate. The 1830 Indian Removal Act was the beginning of the official separation of Plains Indians and whites. It forced 46,000 Plains Indians to move from the east of America to the west. President Jackson declared the new Indian land would be known as ‘Indian Territory’, and promised Plains Indians both they and their new land would be protected from existing Indians and white settlers.

In 1834, the US government passed the Indian Trade and Intercourse Act. This act established a ‘permanent’ Indian Frontier, further consolidating the divide between Plains Indians and whites. It stated that Indian Territory was all land west of the Mississippi River, though did not include Louisiana or Arkansas. White settlers were banned from settling on Indian Territory, and were also prohibited from selling guns or alcohol to American Indians. The frontier was protected by the US Army, who set up army forts and military roads across the frontier.