Dawes Act

Definition

The Dawes Act, enacted in 1887, aimed to assimilate Native Americans into American society by allotting individual plots of land to tribal members and promoting farming. This act significantly altered the land ownership patterns of tribes, breaking up communal lands and undermining tribal governance structures while attempting to erase Native cultures.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The Dawes Act allotted over 90 million acres of tribal land to individual Native Americans, but ultimately led to the loss of about two-thirds of tribal land by the 1930s.
2. The act's goal was to transform Native Americans into farmers and integrate them into Euro-American culture, fundamentally disregarding traditional tribal lifestyles.
3. Each tribal member could receive up to 160 acres of land, but many did not have the resources or knowledge to successfully farm the land assigned to them.
4. The act also included provisions for selling surplus lands, which resulted in significant non-Native acquisition of tribal lands.
5. The Dawes Act is often viewed as a failure for its detrimental impact on Native American identity, culture, and economic well-being.

Review Questions

• How did the Dawes Act change the governance and land ownership among Native American tribes?
  • The Dawes Act fundamentally altered the governance structure and land ownership of Native American tribes by promoting individual allotments instead of communal landholding. This shift diminished tribal sovereignty and governance, as tribes lost control over their collective lands and resources. The act's intention was to assimilate Native Americans into American society by encouraging farming, but it ultimately disrupted traditional practices and undermined community cohesion.
• Evaluate the impacts of the Dawes Act on tribal sovereignty and identity.
  • The Dawes Act had profound impacts on tribal sovereignty and identity by enforcing a model of individualism that contradicted traditional communal values. As tribes lost significant portions of their lands, their ability to self-govern diminished, leading to a loss of cultural practices tied to their ancestral lands. The act's focus on assimilation further eroded tribal identities, as it attempted to replace Indigenous ways of life with Euro-American norms.
• Discuss the long-term consequences of the Dawes Act on Native American communities and subsequent federal policies.
  • The long-term consequences of the Dawes Act were significant, leading to economic struggles for many Native American communities as they lost vast amounts of land and resources. This dispossession created challenges that persist today, including issues related to poverty, health disparities, and cultural disintegration. In response to the failures of the Dawes Act, later federal policies like the Indian Reorganization Act sought to restore some degree of tribal governance and address the adverse effects caused by previous allotment policies. However, the damage done by the Dawes Act continues to impact Indigenous communities and their quest for self-determination.

Related terms

Allotment: A portion of land assigned to an individual member of a tribe under the Dawes Act, intended to encourage farming and individual land ownership.

Tribal Sovereignty: The right of tribes to govern themselves and manage their own affairs, which was challenged by policies like the Dawes Act.

Indian Reorganization Act:

A 1934 law aimed at reversing the effects of the Dawes Act by restoring some degree of tribal governance and collective land ownership.