dawes act

• in 1887
•  In the 1880s the government decided that reservations only encouraged Indians to live as part of a tribe, rather than as individuals.
•  Getting rid of reservations would free up land for settlers, reduce costs and force Indians to assimilate. 
• The Dawes Act was like a Homestead Act for Plains Indians. 
•  Each Indian family was given a 160-acre plot of reservation land 
• Single people got 80 acres
• orphans 40 acres 
• Plains Indians who accepted and left their reservation could become American citizens  All the reservation land left over was sold to whites (e.g. in Oklahoma) 
• The Dawes Act is significant because it made life for Plains Indians even harder. The small, poor quality plots made farming very difficult – many gave up and sold their land to whites.