In the 1830s, the U.S. government forcibly relocated the indigenous peoples of the southeast from their traditional homelands to what later became the state of Oklahoma. But what if U.S. territory didn't extend past the Mississippi River (setting aside why for a moment)? How do they deal with their Indian "problem"? I see four possibilities, but I was wondering if anybody else had other ideas:
1. Move them out west anyway. Just march them across the Mississippi River and hope that whoever owns Louisiana (France, Spain or Mexico) doesn't mind.
2. Move them somewhere else. In OTL, when the U.S. wanted their land, they moved them to a different area that was perceived as being less useful for white settlement. I'm not sure if there are any regions east of the Mississippi that fit that description. Maybe the swampy areas of south Florida? Or snowy Wisconsin?
3. Leave them where they are. Just deal with it and find a way to coexist. Maybe try to assimilate them more than OTL. This would obviously be the best scenario from a humanitarian perspective, but I'm not sure if the southerners would go for it.
4. Just straight up exterminate them. That seems a bit harsh, even for this era, but I suppose if they can't figure out anything else to do, tensions could rise to a violent boiling point.
Any other ideas?
1. Move them out west anyway. Just march them across the Mississippi River and hope that whoever owns Louisiana (France, Spain or Mexico) doesn't mind.
2. Move them somewhere else. In OTL, when the U.S. wanted their land, they moved them to a different area that was perceived as being less useful for white settlement. I'm not sure if there are any regions east of the Mississippi that fit that description. Maybe the swampy areas of south Florida? Or snowy Wisconsin?
3. Leave them where they are. Just deal with it and find a way to coexist. Maybe try to assimilate them more than OTL. This would obviously be the best scenario from a humanitarian perspective, but I'm not sure if the southerners would go for it.
4. Just straight up exterminate them. That seems a bit harsh, even for this era, but I suppose if they can't figure out anything else to do, tensions could rise to a violent boiling point.
Any other ideas?