First, it was necessary to win at war. As a general, he crushed an uprising of Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend in modern-day Alabama in 1814.

Next, it was necessary to win at the negotiating table. In a series of treaties with Indian nations beginning soon after Horseshoe Bend, Jackson obtained tens of millions of acres, using intimidation and bribery when straight payment wouldn’t do.

Finally, it was necessary to alter the facts on the ground. Jackson was sympathetic to white settlers moving on to Indian land, even when their movement was illegal. He dragged his feet when he had a duty to evict them. Once proper legal title to a region was obtained, Jackson and his friends were sometimes among those who colonized the new territory.

Jackson liberally interpreted the law. When the Cherokee government refused to agree to his terms, Jackson as president signed a treaty in 1835 with an unauthorized minority faction, which he considered close enough. The Cherokees’ involuntary departure in 1838 is now known as the Trail of Tears.