General Allotment Act

Definition

The General Allotment Act, also known as the Dawes Act, was a federal law enacted in 1887 aimed at assimilating Native Americans into American society by allotting them individual plots of land. This act intended to break up communal tribal landholdings and promote individual land ownership among Native Americans, which ultimately resulted in significant loss of tribal land and culture.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. The General Allotment Act aimed to reduce the communal nature of tribal land by dividing it into smaller, individually owned plots, often leading to the loss of a significant portion of Native American lands.
2. Tribes could lose their land if they did not meet specific requirements under the act, such as accepting the allotment and living on it for a certain period.
3. The act was designed with the belief that individual land ownership would help Native Americans adopt Western agricultural practices and integrate into American society.
4. By 1934, it was estimated that Native Americans had lost about two-thirds of their land due to the General Allotment Act and other related policies.
5. The repercussions of the act contributed to ongoing issues faced by Native American communities, including poverty and loss of cultural identity.

Review Questions

• What were the primary goals of the General Allotment Act and how did it aim to transform Native American land use?
  • The primary goals of the General Allotment Act were to assimilate Native Americans into American society and to promote individual land ownership. By breaking up communal tribal lands into individual allotments, the act sought to encourage Native Americans to adopt Western agricultural practices and integrate into mainstream culture. However, this often led to significant loss of tribal lands and undermined traditional ways of life, demonstrating the act's destructive impact on Native communities.
• Discuss the long-term consequences of the General Allotment Act on Native American tribes and their lands.
  • The long-term consequences of the General Allotment Act were severe for Native American tribes. The act resulted in a massive loss of tribal lands, with estimates suggesting two-thirds of their land was lost by 1934. This fragmentation of land ownership weakened tribal governance structures and cultural identities. Additionally, the economic hardships faced by tribes as a result of this loss contributed to ongoing challenges such as poverty and social dislocation within Native communities.
• Evaluate how the policies represented by the General Allotment Act reflect broader historical trends in U.S. government relations with Native Americans.
  • The policies represented by the General Allotment Act reflect broader historical trends of U.S. government relations with Native Americans characterized by assimilationist efforts and land dispossession. The act signifies a shift from recognizing tribal sovereignty towards promoting individualism at the expense of communal rights. This aligns with other federal policies aimed at erasing Indigenous cultures and integrating Native populations into a Euro-American framework. Consequently, this approach has led to enduring socio-economic disparities and cultural dislocation among Indigenous communities that continue to resonate today.

Related terms

Dawes Act: Another name for the General Allotment Act, named after Senator Henry L. Dawes, who championed the legislation to promote the assimilation of Native Americans.

Allotment: A piece of land designated to an individual or family, particularly under the General Allotment Act as part of the U.S. government's effort to individualize land ownership.

Trust Land: Land held in trust by the federal government for the benefit of a Native American tribe or individual, which cannot be sold or taxed without federal consent.