Question

The Dawes Act provided 160 acres of farmland or 320 acres of grazing land to the head of each Indigenous family. However, before the act, the groups already controlled their land. This means that the U.S. took an Indigenous group’s land and gave the group less land than before. The land that was given back to group members was often not good for farming. In addition, most of the Indigenous people who received the land were not trained to be successful in a life of standardized agriculture or ranching.

When was the Dawes Act made law? What are the key provisions of the Dawes Act?

Write 5 sentences in your own words

Answer 1

The Dawes Act was enacted into law on February 8, 1887. Its primary aim was to assimilate Native Americans into American society by allotting them individual plots of land, typically 160 acres for farming or 320 acres for grazing. The act sought to break up communal tribal landholdings and promote individual land ownership, often diminishing the overall land held by Indigenous groups. Unfortunately, the land distributed was frequently of poor quality, and many Native Americans lacked the necessary skills for successful farming or ranching. The Dawes Act ultimately contributed to the loss of Native American land and culture.