How did people maintain control over the land?

Well, it depends who you are talking about. So, I give you two groups.

Explanation:

Native Americans Views:

They believed that individual ownership only applied to the crops one grew. Native American's believed that spiritual forces were everywhere, dwelling in heavenly bodies and in sacred places on the Earth. Spirits lived within plants and animals. In the early 19th century, settlers moved into southern Cherokee territory en masse and wanted their government representatives to claim the land. The United States acted to remove all Indian nations from the southeast. Georgia agreed to cede her western land to the government in return for Indian land title.

American Colonist:

During the colonial period, individual colonist acquired real property primarily through grants from the Virginia Company, headrights, treasury rights, and military warrants. The investors in that company controlled all the initial English land claims in the colony. They also adapted to their environments. Summers were too short and most unfortunate enough, winters were long and cold. The colonists would have to take some time to adapt to this new environment. Colonists cut down many of the trees and replaced them with fields for farmers. The soil was excellent, unlike the New England Colonies. Why was owning land important to colonist? Land ownership gave colonists political rights and wealth. Large landowners were in the high rank. Small farmers who owned land were in the middle rank.

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i do knot know this

c. the dred scott v. sandford case,