This unit intends to complicate common understandings of Indian removal that focus almost exclusively on the Cherokee history and experience. Instead, this unit provides a diverse range of source materials that allow you to look beyond Cherokee removal in the Southeast and the Trail of Tears to gain insight into the ideas at the heart of the debate over the federal policy. Through careful analysis of the documents, you will learn about the principles grounding the arguments made by Americans for and against the removal policy, even as you gain a glimpse into the different strategies used by Indian leaders to resist or influence the implementation of that same policy. On completion of this unit, you should be able to answer the central question: What concepts were at the heart of the national debate regarding Indian removal policy?