The Indian Removal Act of 1830 was significant in U.S. history as it facilitated the forced relocation of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands in the southeastern United States to territories west of the Mississippi River. The act aimed to open up land for white settlers and economic development, disregarding the rights and sovereignty of Indigenous peoples. This policy led to the infamous Trail of Tears, resulting in the suffering and death of thousands of Native Americans during their forced migration. The Indian Removal Act epitomizes the broader patterns of displacement and injustice faced by Native Americans as the U.S. expanded westward.