As European settlers decided to settle here, they were unaware of the natives that had already lived here. While they came to shore, the natives had revealed themselves and the settlers were alarmed. They soon built relationships, but their greed for land and power overcame them. In the standards of the Europeans, the natives were on their land or the land that they believed they deserved. They wanted cash crops for money and did not care about their civilized native neighbors. After settlements and governments were established, the settlers did everything the could to push all of the natives southward. So the invasion of the native settlements began. Many houses were burned down and all of the valuable riches were taken such as cattle. In 1830, president Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act. This gave power to the government to move the natives to the west so that the settlers could plant their cotton farms. The law however, required that the president shouldn't have the power to do this meaning he can't just vacate the native land for himself. Jackson just ignored the letters and made the Choctaw the first to leave their land bound in chains with no supplies. Thousands died along the way. This was what began the Trail of Tears. By 1836, 3,500 to 15,000 Creeks were forced on their way to Oklahoma. They did not survive the trip there. The Cherokee people were worrying and were having some disagreements on what they should do. Some of them wanted to stay and fight, but others wanted to sell the land for money. So some self-appointed Cherokee leaders decided to sell their land to the Americans for $5,000,000, relocation, and assistance in order to pay the cost for the land that they just sold. The Americans were fine with that, but the Cherokees that wanted to fight felt betrayed. In 1838, only 2,000 Cherokees left their homes for Oklahoma. President Martin Van Buren sent General Winfield Scott and his 7,000 man army to drive the rest of the Cherokees out of "American territory". On the way to Oklahoma, at least 5,000 Cherokees died due to the many diseases they caught and the fact that they were going through malnutrition. By 1907, Oklahoma became a state and the Cherokee were no more.