How Did The Homestead Act Affect The Lives Of The Native Americans

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In 1860-1890, there was war between the Natives and the U.S. government. The U.S. government wanted to take over the Native Americans land. To do that, the U.S. government started a treaty called the Homestead Act, there was differnet kinds of conflict between the two groups, and the U.S. government killed the Natives resources. This expansion affected the lives of Native Americans across the land. The Homestead Act was a one of the effects that affected the lives of the Native Americans. The Homestead Act was signed in May 1862. The Homestead Act allowed all Americans, including slaves, to claim 160 acres of land. About 1.6 million homesteads were granted and 270,000,000 acres of land was distributed. By 1934, most of the good land was claimed, but the law continued until 1976 on the continent, and 1986 in Alaska. Besides the Homestead Act, there was conflict between the Natives and the settlers. One cause of conflict was when the government tried a new policy called the Reservation Policy. In 1876, the federal government appointed the Indian Peace Commission. It recommended moving the Native Americans to a few large reservations. The government then increased its efforts in that direction. Another cause of conflict was the killing of the buffalo. In the 1850’s, minors, …show more content…

The buffalo was a great natural resource because the Natives would use the buffalo to survive. They would use the buffalo for food, clothes, utensils, shelter and many more. They would never let the buffalo go to waste. Another resource that the Natives used to survive were the trees. The Natives would use the trees for canoes, weapons/tools, shelter, fuel for fire and many more. During this time period, the settlers would kill the buffalos and cut down the trees. The settlers would kill the buffalos because while they were constructing the land, the settlers did not want the buffalos to get in the way, so they killed

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