This chapter outlines how the forced removal and relocation of Indigenous peoples defines much of the period under examination rather than serving as mere footnotes to the era’s other conflicts. The author demonstrates how removal was central to the political landscape of the period leading up to the US Civil War, and as a result, readers can find these resonances in almost any literary work from the period from virtually every region of the continent. Ultimately, this chapter argues that returning to take a close look at Indigenous history and literature in this period illuminates how scholars and students can challenge this logic and appreciate a more complete picture of how removal continues to affect our present.