Question

Why did settlers believe that the right to take possession of western lands and use them as they saw was an essential part of american freedom? why did this same freedom not apply to the native americans already on the land?

Answer 1

The settlers saw the right to take possession of western lands and use them as they saw fitting as an essential element of American freedom. Settlers paid no attention to Indian land titles and admonished the government to set a low price on public land or give it away and regularly occupied land to which they had no legal title. Numerous settlers are also concerned unregulated population of lands west of Appalachian Mountains would aggravate constant warfare with Indians and viewed frontier settlers as disorganized and lacking reverence for authority.