The U.S. government's relationship with the Native American population has been difficult for over 250 years. An example of this relationship would be what is infamously known as the Trail of Tears, a phrase describing a journey that Native Americans took after giving up their land for forced removal. As part of then-President Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act, this policy was put in place to control Native people who were attempting to peacefully reside in their stolen homeland. From the perspective of the Choctaw and Cherokee natives, removal had almost ultimately altered the traditional culture and lifestyle of these people. The Cherokee Trail of Tears resulted from the execution of the Treaty of New Echota (1835), an “agreement” signed under the Indian Removal Act of 1830 (The Cherokee and the Trail of Tears). As the American population expanded, the discovery of gold in Georgia and the need for even more land for the Americans resulted in the push to displace the Natives who were “in the way.” Then, with the Indian Removal Act of 1830, Congress acted to remove Native people from the eastern seaboard of the United States to land west of the Mississippi River, something that was never embraced or approved by them (The Cherokee and the Trail of Tears ). Many state governments, such as Georgia, did not want Native-owned land within their borders, while Natives did not want to move. However, under the Removal Act, the United States Congress gave then-President Andrew Jackson the authority to negotiate removal treaties. The Treaty of New Echota was ratified by the United States Senate, by one vote, without the approval of the Cherokee Nation (The Cherokee and the Trail of Tears). The treaty resulted in abou... half of document......hushistory.org/indian-removal/overview>."Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians." Band of Mississippi Choctaw Indians. Np, nd Web. November 12, 2013. “Old Settlers and Emigrants.” Old settlers and emigrants. Np, nd Web. November 11, 2013. “The Effects of Removal on American Indian Tribes, Native Americans, and the Land, Nature Transformed, TeacherServe, National Humanities Center.” The Effects of Removal on American Indian Tribes, Native Americans, and the Land, Nature Transformed, TeacherServe, National Humanities Center. Np, nd Web. November 10, 2013. .Wells, Samuel J. After the Removal of the Choctaw in Mississippi. Jackson, Miss.: University Press of Mississippi, 1986. Print.