White Settlers

Definition

White settlers refers to the European and American individuals who migrated to and established permanent communities in North America during westward expansion. They played a significant role in displacing Native American tribes from their ancestral lands.

Related terms

Manifest Destiny: The belief held by many white settlers that it was their God-given right and destiny to expand across the entire continent.

Homestead Act: A law passed in 1862 that offered 160 acres of free land to anyone willing to farm it for at least five years.

Indian Removal Act: Passed by Congress in 1830, this act authorized the forced removal of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands in the southeastern United States.