How Did The Dawes Act Affect The Industrialization Of Native Americans?

Congress passed the Dawes Allotment Act in 1887, its purpose was to teach the Natives the farming methods and the American values of individualism as well as private property rather than collectively owned land in order to assimilate the Natives. This act is seen as the most assimilative and ruined tribal functions culturally and economically with the entire allotment process (O’Brien 77). The act divided reservation lands amongst individual people and families in order for them to farm and raise livestock. Each head of a household would obtain about 160 acres and individuals who were over the age of eighteen would get 80 acres, while all others would receive 40 acres of land, but any surplus land would go to settlers.

The depth of hostility felt by many white Americans toward the Indians was very aggressive in my opinion. I personally do not understand why they were so cruel to the Native Americans when the Indians were there first. I understand the concept that they needed to have sustainability and needs, but I think the white Americans did it the wrong way. Next, I think the main goal of the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 was to compromise and share the land equally with the Indians.

Dawes Severalty Act De Juan Evans-Taylor Humboldt State University  Abstract The Dawes Act of 1887, some of the time alluded to as the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 or the General Allotment Act, was marked into law on January 8, 1887, by US President Grover Cleveland. This was approved by the president to appropriate and redistribute tribal grounds in the American West. It expressly tried to crush the social union of Indian tribes and to along these lines dispose of the rest of the remnants of Indian culture and society. Just by repudiating their own customs, it was accepted, could the Indians at any point turn out to be genuinely "American."

In the 1800’s, America only favored the white man, and did not favor African-American, or Native Americans. America favored big business and the “Americanized” white man. The Dawes Act was made in hopes to Americanize the American-Indians, so they would fit in more with the white man. The idea of the Dawes Act had good intentions but ultimately it did not work out the way the government was hoping. The Dawes Act was to break up the Indian reservations and give them their own land, so the Indians could start farming, to civilize them.

I believe we tried so hard to get the native americans to be able to adapt into our society, that's the true reason we enacted the dawes act. Not to give them their dividends of the land or to “bring them out of poverty” that was just a cover up for what I believe was some sort of an attempt of manipulation. The main reason why I believe this is a case of the United States trying to manipulate and the native americans is because during the 1850’s, The United States started spreading out and growing, many dwelling alongside the natives, thus resulting in many problems. So in an attempt to remain civil, we tried to start groups and communities, but many of the members did not believe the groups could co exist together. So then the Dawes act conveniently came along to “Help with the indian poverty” and “Give them land dividends”.

More indians tribes were destroyed during war with the whites, and since the Native Americans did not have as much technology, food, and medicine as the whites, they lost a lot of warriors. Many Native Americans would leave their tribes in search for food only to be confronted and ambushed by white soldiers. Some Native Americans chose to surrender rather than to be moved to a different location. After the Indian and American War, the General Allotment Act was passed, also known as The Dawes Act of 1887. The Dawes Act granted Native Americans land allotments.

Many people believed that Mexico invaded the United States and caused the U.S Mexico war; however, it was actually United States who raided Mexico first. The author, Rodolfo Acuna, purpose of writing “Occupied America: A History of Chicanos” was too informed of how the United States came to invade Mexico which led to the U.S Mexico War. Such as how the U.S President Polk, who played a huge role in the U.S Mexico war. Other events include the Anglo Settlements in Texas who brought their slaves, Texas War of Independence, and the terms of Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. All these events are what led up the U.S Mexico War.

“Once we became an independent people it was as much a law of nature that this [control of all of North America] should become our pretension as that the Mississippi should flow to the sea” –John Quincy Adams (Henretta, p. 384). In the 1840s, Americans had a belief that God destined for them to expand their territory all the way westward to the Pacific Ocean. This idea was called Manifest Destiny. In the nineteenth century, Americans were recognized for coming together and building up one another for one cause: westward expansion.

Native Americans flourished in North America, but over time white settlers came and started invading their territory. Native Americans were constantly being thrown and pushed off their land. Sorrowfully this continued as the Americans looked for new opportunities and land in the West. When the whites came to the west, it changed the Native American’s lives forever. The Native Americans had to adapt to the whites, which was difficult for them.

When the Europeans began colonizing the New World, they had a problematic relationship with the Native Americans. The Europeans sought to control a land that the Natives inhabited all their lives. They came and decided to take whatever they wanted regardless of how it affected the Native Americans. They legislated several laws, such as the Indian Removal Act, to establish their authority. The Indian Removal Act had a negative impact on the Native Americans because they were driven away from their ancestral homes, forced to adopt a different lifestyle, and their journey westwards caused the deaths of many Native Americans.

During and after the battle of the little bighorn and massacre at wounded knee there was a lot of murder of the native Americans. The Dawes Act of 1887 was created to assimilate the native Americans. If the native Americans were to give up their land, they would be able to become U.S citizens and be given a small plot of land to farm on. The U.S government created boarding schools for the native american children so they could assimilate them. Many children were taken away and were given up because if they didn't the U.S government would take their food supply away.

The Dawes act nullified previous land allotments forced upon the Native Americans by the federal government. This new act insured that the allotted land, that the Native Americans were forced to live on and rebuild their lives, will now be given to white settlers. I don’t think this act is fair or just. It’s other process that is trying to get rid of the Native American culture and lifestyle. They’re separating big parts of the region, and making them relocate to a smaller area.

The people who settled the west were greatly dependent on the US government and the policies they adopted. The settling of the west in the late 19th century was similar to the settlement of the south in the 1830’s. Andrew Jackson drove out the indians so that the valuable land of the south could be secured by white settlers. Once again, the federal government made it possible to settle the west by forcing indians off of their lands. A recurring theme in American history is manifest destiny and the attempt to develop unsettled lands by the federal government.

Throughout the 19th century Native Americans were treated far less than respectful by the United States’ government. This was the time when the United States wanted to expand and grow rapidly as a land, and to achieve this goal, the Native Americans were “pushed” westward. It was a memorable and tricky time in the Natives’ history, and the US government made many treatments with the Native Americans, making big changes on the Indian nation. Native Americans wanted to live peacefully with the white men, but the result of treatments and agreements was not quite peaceful. This precedent of mistreatment of minorities began with Andrew Jackson’s indian removal policies to the tribes of Oklahoma (specifically the Cherokee indians) in 1829 because of the lack of respect given to the indians during the removal laws.

It is inevitable to know about historical significance behind the novel; which provides the better understanding of the socio-cultural issue prevails in it. The novel set during the historical period when the Dawes Act (General Allotment Act) of 1887. The objectives of the Dawes Act are to lift the Native Americans out of poverty and to stimulate assimilation of them into that so called mainstream American society. It allowed tracts of arable land that had been communal reservation property to be allotted to individual tribal