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LAD/Blog #25: The Dawes Act

The Dawes Act greatly improved the land distribution among Indians in the US. Prior to 1887 Indian Reservations were held in a trust set up by the US government, and the Indians were allowed to live there, but not to own the land. However, with the Dawes Act this land was given to individual tribesmen based on age, gender, and status. While it was better than the situation before, this act was not without its faults. It still preserved the US government's right to build infrastructure on these lands that were not their's. It excluded the 5 civilized tribes, the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole. Also, it encourage the Indians to sell their land to American settlers. Despite this it was still a step up because now the Indians owned the land. They were also given a path to citizenship with this act, where 25 years after owning land, they would be able to reap the benefits to citizenship such as education and legal protection. With that said, many Indians did not like it because it forced them to live away from their tribe and homelands should they accept the land.

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Homestead Act:

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