The Dawes Act
1887 · 19th Century
The Dawes Act (also known as the General Allotment Act), signed by President Grover Cleveland on February 8, 1887, authorized the division of communally held Native American tribal lands into individual allotments. The Act provided 160 acres to each head of family and smaller parcels to others, with the aim of assimilating Native Americans into American society through private land ownership. "Surplus" lands were sold to non-Native settlers, resulting in Native Americans losing approximately 90 million acres (about two-thirds of their land base) by 1934 when the policy was reversed.
Key Figures
Henry L. DawesGrover ClevelandHenry M. Teller
Locations
Washington, D.C.Massachusetts
Topics
Native americanspropertyland losslawdawes actindian reservationsgeneral allotment act
Connected Events — 3 Connections
The Dawes Act's devastating land loss (90 million acres) and cultural destruction provided the evidence that convinced reformers to reverse allotment policy, leading directly to the Indian Reorganization Act which ended allotment and began restoring tribal self-governance Indian Reorganization Act
Continued the systematic destruction of Native American land rights by breaking up tribal lands into individual allotments, completing the legal framework begun with Indian removal by eliminating communal tribal ownership The Indian Removal Act is Passed
The Statue of Liberty's dedication as a symbol of freedom and liberty created political pressure on the Cleveland administration to address the contradiction of Native American exclusion from American liberty, influencing the timing and framing of assimilationist policies Statue of Liberty Dedicated
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