Dawes Act of 1887

Cultural  

1. A federal law intended to turn Native Americans into farmers and landowners by providing cooperating families with 160 acres of reservation land for farming or 320 acres for grazing. In the eyes of supporters, this law would “civilize” the Indians by weaning them from their nomadic life, by treating them as individuals rather than as members of their tribes, and by readying them for citizenship. Although generally well intentioned, the law undermined Indian culture, in part by restricting their hunting rights on former reservation lands. Much of the best reservation land eventually passed into the hands of whites.

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Example Sentences

The Dawes Act of 1887 offered Indians private lots in exchange for becoming U.S. citizens - resulting in more than 90 million acres passing out of Indian hands between the 1880s and 1930s, said Kevin Washburn, who served as Assistant Secretary for Indian Affairs at the Department of the Interior from 2012 until he resigned in December 2015.

From Reuters

Marshall’s words were entrenched when Congress became trustee of all Indian lands and resources under the Dawes Act of 1887.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Dawes Act of 1887 allowed American Indians to have sole ownership over land within reservations.

From Washington Times

The Allotment Act.—By the Dawes act of 1887 the new Indian policy begun in 1871 was still further extended.

From Project Gutenberg

Like legions of others, Bruno acquired his holdings under the Dawes Act of 1887.

From Time Magazine Archive