<P> Many Native Americans served in the military during the Civil War, on both sides . By fighting with the whites, Native Americans hoped to gain favor with the prevailing government by supporting the war effort . </P> <P> General Ely S. Parker, a member of the Seneca tribe, created the articles of surrender which General Robert E. Lee signed at Appomattox Court House on April 9, 1865 . Gen. Parker, who served as Gen. Ulysses S. Grant's military secretary and was a trained attorney, was once rejected for Union military service because of his race . At Appomattox, Lee is said to have remarked to Parker, "I am glad to see one real American here," to which Parker replied, "We are all Americans ." General Stand Watie, a leader of the Cherokee Nation and Confederate Indian cavalry commander, was the last Confederate General to surrender his troops . </P> <P> In the 19th century, the incessant westward expansion of the United States incrementally compelled large numbers of Native Americans to resettle further west, often by force, almost always reluctantly . Native Americans believed this forced relocation illegal, given the Hopewell Treaty of 1785 . Under President Andrew Jackson, United States Congress passed the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which authorized the President to conduct treaties to exchange Native American land east of the Mississippi River for lands west of the river . </P> <P> As many as 100,000 Native Americans relocated to the West as a result of this Indian Removal policy . In theory, relocation was supposed to be voluntary and many Native Americans did remain in the East . In practice, great pressure was put on Native American leaders to sign removal treaties . </P>

What was the major factor in native american displacement