Dawes Act: Congress Distributed Land To Native Americans In Oklahoma Back In The Late 1800s

The Dawes Act, which is also known as the General Allotment Act is how Congress distributed land to Native Americans in Oklahoma back in the late 1800s. It was passed February 8, 1887. The Dawes Act got its name from Congressman Henry Dawes. Dawes believed in civilizing powers of private property. Dawes also believed to be civilized was to wear civilized clothes, cultivate the ground, live in houses, send children to school, drink whiskey and own property. This act was brought up to force Native Americans to assimilate white Americans. It was passed during the presidency of Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th President of the United States. It was an act to provide for the allotment of lands in severalty to Indians on the various reservations.

The Government believed then, that the Native Americans would not sell the land and return to their reservations.

The American Indian became an American citizen as soon as he received his allotment. the Act also declared that Indians could become citizens if they had separated from their tribes and adopted the ways of civilized life, without ending their rights to tribal or other property.

Every member of the tribes that received land allotments was rewarded with United States citizenship, along with being included in laws of the state or territory in which they lived in. Free land was obtained which established a trust fund to collect oil, minerals, timber, and grazing leases on. The head of each family was given 160 acres of land, which was one-quarter of a section. Each single person over eighteen years of age and each orphan under eighteen received one-eighth of a section. To every other single person under eighteen years of age now living or will be born prior to the date of the President directing an allotment was given one-sixteenth of a

These groups believed that the Native Americans would not give up their traditional barbarian ways if they were not civilized. "J.D.C. Atkins, commissioner of Indian affairs, argued that the Dawes Act was the first step toward transforming, "Idleness, improvidence, ignorance, and superstition.. into industry, thrift, intelligence, and Christianity"." (Staff, 2009)

The Native Americans land holdings dropped from 138 million acres down to 48 million acres, for a loss of 90 million acres of land. (Newcomb, 2012) After the initial distribution of land, the remainder was considered surplus and was sold for as little as one dollar per acre. Many farmers could not afford to start a farm and keep it running. The Native Americans lost their land and the tribes of Oklahoma lost their sovereignty.

Gender issues became a problem for the female Native Americans. Traditionally, the females were responsible for their land. The females would do the maintaining and cultivating of crops and livestock. During the Dawes Act, when the land was given out, only the males received the land and the females were not considered important unless married. The females could not play an active role in land ownership and were forced into Westernized