The Dawes Act, also known as the General Allotment Act of 1887, was a U.S. federal law passed to assimilate Native Americans into American society and to end the communal land ownership commonly practiced by tribes.
The act divided tribal land into allotments, which were assigned to individual Native Americans and their families. The amount of land each family received depended on the size of their household, with unmarried adults receiving less land. The remaining land, known as "surplus" land, was to be opened up for white settlement.
The Dawes Act aimed to transform Native Americans from nomadic hunters into sedentary farmers by forcing them to abandon their traditional communal lifestyle and adopt Western-style individual land ownership. Native Americans who accepted the individual allotments were given U.S. citizenship and granted the rights to vote, the hope being that Native Americans would assimilate into mainstream American society.
The act ultimately resulted in the loss of large portions of tribal lands. Many Native Americans were swindled out of their land due to fraudulent practices, as they often didn't fully understand the concept of individual land ownership. Additionally, the surplus land that was opened to white settlers led to further displacement of Native Americans and the destruction of their culture and way of life.
What is the Dawes act what did it say and do
How did the Dawes act help to change land ownership by the tribes in Indian territory how did it help to open tribal lands to white settlers
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