In 1829 , gold was discovered in the North Georgia mountains leading to the Georgia Gold Rush and establishment of a federal mint in Dahlonega , which continued in operation until 1861 . The resulting influx of white settlers put pressure on the government to take land from the Cherokee Nation . In 1830 , President Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act , sending many eastern Native American nations to reservations in present-day Oklahoma , including all of Georgia 's tribes . Despite the Supreme Court 's ruling in '' Worcester v. Georgia '' ( 1832 ) that U.S. states were not permitted to redraw Indian boundaries , President Jackson and the state of Georgia ignored the ruling . In 1838 , his successor , Martin Van Buren , dispatched federal troops to gather the tribes and deport them west of the Mississippi . This forced relocation , known as the Trail of Tears , led to the death of over 4,000 Cherokees
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
Georgia (U.S. state)