1887 Dawes Act

The Dawes Act of 1887 was a U.S. law aimed at assimilating Native Americans by encouraging them to adopt European-American farming practices. It divided communal tribal lands into individual family parcels, which were then allocated to Native families, with the surplus land sold to non-Native settlers. The goal was to break up tribal tribes and ties to land, promoting individual ownership and "civilization." However, it often resulted in significant loss of Native land—over 90 million acres—disrupting Native cultures, livelihoods, and communal life, with long-lasting negative impacts on Native communities.