What was the indian removal act?
- who was president at the time?
- what did this act require?
- why was the act important?

The Indian Removal Act was a legislation that gave the federal government the power to remove and relocate Native Americans that lived east of the Mississippi. 
It was signed into law during Andrew Jackson's term. 
This act required the Native Americans to relocate from their native lands so that the federal government can can use that land to build transportation routes and such. 
This was important because it led to the forced relocation and expulsion of many Natives who did not want to leave their land. Their journey out of their native lands came to be called "The Trail of Tears."

It me to understand the world and my place in it. for example, (and i know i’m using the terminology ‘historical perspective’ loosely here; some of my examples may be better termed an ‘evolutionary perspective’) knowing that all humans can trace their ancestry back to a common ancestor who lived in southern ethiopia ~200,000 years ago makes me feel connected to everyone on the planet. knowing that some of our ancestors left africa about 70,000 years ago and interbred with more archaic hominin species in europe and elsewhere, me to see the stupidity of white supremacist ‘purity of the race’ themes. seeing how religion was used to enslave people, and how callously lives were thrown away by those in power in the world wars of the past century makes me feel extremely fortunate to be living in the modern era. and, perhaps most importantly is that this knowledge makes me for the sacrifices our ancestors made to get us to this point, and determined to do my part to make the world a better place for the next generation.