18. The Dawes Severalty Act
Also known as the Dawes General Allotment Act and named after its sponsor Senator Henry Dawes. The purpose of the Act was to essentially make farmers out of the Native Americans by dividing reservation land amongst individual tribesman so that they could begin farming on their plots of land. The Act allowed for the allocation of 160 acres per head of household and 80 acres per each unmarried adult. The U.S. government held the land in trust for twenty-five years, after which the owner won full title and citizenship.
The Dawes Severalty Act turned out to be a disaster for Native Americans. After the allocation of land to the relevant members of each tribe, the land deemed “surplus” was then made open to the public to purchase. Tellingly, it was only after this amendment was made to the original bill that the Act received enough votes to pass the Congressional vote. The Dawes Act resulted in 138 million acres or two-thirds of reservation land owned by Native Americans in 1878 being purchased by non-Indians by 1938.
The Dawes Act also had a detrimental effect on the social structure of the tribes so much so that reservation life became “characterized by disease, filth, poverty, and despondency.” Many previously nomadic tribes struggled to adapt to a sedentary agricultural way of life.