In 1830 Congress passed the Indian Removal Act, which authorized then-president Andrew Jackson to grant "unsettled" lands west of the Mississippi River in exchange for Indian lands within existing state borders. The forced removal of Cherokee people from the southeast is the most well-known example. The intrusion into and incorporation of what we know as the American West often provoked violent conflict. It was home to hundreds of indigenous tribes with distinct cultures, languages, and histories. The acquisition of this vast territory-530 million acres, to be exact-spurred exploration and white settlement. We know this deal as the Louisiana Purchase. In 1803, for example, President Thomas Jefferson purchased 827,000 miles of land from French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte for $15 million. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, soldiers and government officials engaged in campaigns to remove Native Americans from their homelands and incorporate new territory into the United States. You might not be as familiar with the way that agents of the United States of America also colonized lands on and beyond the North American continent. Today, you have heard stories about the violence of European expansion and colonialism throughout the world.
![frontierland shift exchange frontierland shift exchange](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/54/1b/0c/541b0c31a99afaefe53470675e5bb5d3.jpg)
![frontierland shift exchange frontierland shift exchange](https://dmi4pvc5gbhhd.cloudfront.net/2014/05/royal-st-verdana.jpeg)
Adventureland’s transition into Frontierland provides the perfect conclusion. The Crystal Palace was a fitting start to our tour. Frontierland and the Legacies of American Expansion By Sarah Fling