During Bell 's second term ( 1829 – 1831 ) , he was chairman of the House Committee on Indian Affairs . As such , he wrote the Indian Removal Act , which was submitted by the committee in February 1830 , and signed by President Jackson later that year . This act led to the removal of the Cherokee and other tribes to Oklahoma , via the Trail of Tears , in the latter half of the decade . One of the bill 's most vocal opponents was Massachusetts congressman Edward Everett , Bell 's future running mate
Trail of Tears
Trail of Tears
John Bell (Tennessee politician)