[136] Adams signed a new treaty with the Muscogee in January 1826 that allowed the Muscogee to stay but ceded most of their land to Georgia. Troup refused to accept its terms and authorized all Georgian citizens to evict the Muscogee.[137] A showdown between Georgia and the federal government was only averted after the Muscogee agreed to a third treaty.[138] Though many saw Troup as unreasonable in his dealings with the federal government and the Native Americans, the administration's handling of the incident alienated those in the Deep South who favored immediate Indian removal.[139]

Foreign affairs
Trade and claims
Quincy Adams appointed Henry Clay as Secretary of State
One of the major foreign policy goals of the Adams administration was the expansion of American trade.[140] His administration reached reciprocity treaties with a number of nations, including Denmark, Prussia, and the Federal Republic of Central America. The administration also reached commercial agreements with the Kingdom of Hawaii and the Kingdom of Tahiti.[141] Agreements with Denmark and Sweden opened their colonies to American trade, but Adams was especially focused on opening trade with the British West Indies. 