How and why did white attitudes toward native Americans change and how did these changes lead to the Indian removal act and trail of tears?

White attitudes toward Native Americans shifted from viewing them as noble savages to seeing them as obstacles to progress and civilization, particularly as westward expansion intensified in the early 19th century. This change was fueled by a belief in Manifest Destiny and economic interests in land. As settlers sought more territory for agriculture and settlement, the U.S. government, influenced by these attitudes, enacted the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which forcibly relocated Native Americans from their ancestral lands, culminating in the tragic Trail of Tears. This policy was justified by the notion that removal would benefit both settlers and Native tribes, though it resulted in immense suffering and loss for Indigenous peoples.