The Seneca prophet and religious leader Ganidayo (Handsome Lake) lives between 1735 and 1815. After a vision in 1799, Ganidayo leads a spiritual revival among the Six Nations. His "Gai'wiu" or "good message" forms the basis of the Longhouse religion currently practised by many Six Nations people. While it includes some elements of Christianity, the Gai'wiu is founded in native traditions. Ganidayo taught universal spiritual values, including toleration of other beliefs. Although the Gai'wiu religion replaced many of the old beliefs of the Six Nations, some traditional ceremonies were kept, including the very ancient Ostowa-gowa, or the Great Feather Dance. This became a prime religious dance of the Longhouse people.

Among the most powerful Indian nations left on the east coast of the United States after 1815, was the Creek or Muskhogee confederacy. The confederacy was made up of semi-independent townships, a region centered on a main town. Called a talwal, each township was run by an elected council. Although their lands were guaranteed by treaty with the United States, American settlers make an undeclared war on the Creek nation. Most were forced to move west of the Mississippi, the fate of the majority of the Indian nations still living east of the river. This was called the Trail of Tears, one of the great refugee movements of all time, and many thousands of people died, due to lack of food, the cold, exhaustion or disease.

Some Creek clans move into Florida. Here there were diverse communities. There were villages of escaped African slaves, villages of mixed African-native peoples called maroons, and villages of smaller groups of native peoples, such as the Miccosukee. The most important group was the Seminole nation, a unique culture resulting from the mixture of the few remaining original Florida natives, Africans and recently arrived Creeks. But American attacks into Florida (still a Spanish colony at this time) soon followed. In what are called the three Seminole Wars, in 1818, 1835-42 and 1855-58, most of the Seminoles were forced to move west. Florida was also taken by the USA from Spain. A few Seminole and Miccosukee villages survived deep in the Florida swamps, where they still exist.

The population of the United States grew from 9.6 million in 1820 to 31.3 million in 1860. As the American settlers moved ever westward, crossing the Mississippi they come into conflict with the natives they have so recently forced to move west, as well as the plains peoples who had originally lived here. The Cheyenne experience is typical of most plains nations. Originally farmers, the Cheyenne began to use horses by 1700 and turned to hunting the herds of bison. Like other plains people, the Cheyenne used military "societies". These societies were groups of veteran warriors. They acted as distinct military units in wartime, but also served as community leaders, as a kind of police force as well as serving many other functions. The Cheyenne Hotamitanio (Dog Soldiers) were possibly the best native soldiers on the plains. They wore a long sash in battle, which would be pinned to the ground with an arrow to show they would stay and fight to death at that spot. The Cheyenne were victims of the Sand Creek Massacre, described as one of most planned brutal acts in American history, and the unprovoked attack on Black Kettle's camp by Custer. The Northern Cheyenne suffered their final retreat and defeat in 1878.

The abolitionist or anti-slavery movement gains strength in the United States. Harriet Beecher Stowe writes the book Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852. Many white people for the first time are brought face-to-face with the horrible living conditions of the slaves.

Canada