05/29/2026
On this day, May 28, in 1830, President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act into law. This act stripped ownership from Native Americans of their eastern lands, transferring it into the hands of white settlers. Approximately 100,000 people were forcibly relocated to reservations west of the Mississippi River, to land that had been deemed worthless by the settlers. Between 13,000 – 16,000 Native Americans died of disease, exposure, or starvation while being forced, on foot, more than a thousand miles from their ancestral homes in what would become known as the “Trail of Tears”.
The legacy of the Indian Removal Act lives on in the present-day borders of Native American nations, as well as in the generational memories of the intense suffering, death, and deprivation experienced during this forced removal. We encourage you to take a moment today to pray for healing, for reconciliation, and for the wisdom to continually learn from our history.
