When completing this Discussion, please answer the following in at least 5-7 sentences:

Question

1) What is the Dawes Act, and what did it say and do?
2) 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?

Answer 1

1) The Dawes Act, also known as the General Allotment Act of 1887, was a federal law passed in the United States aimed at assimilating Native Americans into mainstream American society. The Act allowed for the division of tribal lands into individual allotments, with the leftover land being sold to non-Native settlers. Each Native American family would be given a plot of land, usually around 160 acres, with the idea that they would become farmers and adopt Western agricultural practices.

2) The Dawes Act fundamentally changed land ownership by the Tribes in Indian Territory by breaking up the communal ownership and distributing it among individual Native Americans. This resulted in the loss of vast amounts of tribal land and the undermining of their sovereignty. By opening up Tribal lands to white settlers, the Act allowed for the rapid expansion of white settlement into Native American territories, leading to further displacement and marginalization of Native peoples. The Dawes Act marked a significant shift in U.S. Indian policy towards assimilation and forced acculturation.