1865 - 1914 Flashcards
What legal status did Native American tribes have after 1865?
Tribes were classed as ‘domestic dependent nations’ with limited sovereignty, placing them under US federal jurisdiction
What did the Indian Appropriations Act change about Native American treaty rights and when was it?
- 1871
- Ended the U.S policy of recognising tribes as sovereign nations, banning further treaty-making
When and what was the Dawes act?
- 1887
- Each Plains Indian Family was allotted 160- acre homesteads from their reservation land
- any leftover land was freed up for white settlers to buy
What was the aim of the Dawes act for the US government?
- break up the power of the tribe by encouraging individual families to farm for themselves
- aimed to make Plains Indians more self-sufficient and assimilate NA
How did the Dawes act undermine tribal political autonomy?
- dissolved tribal governance
- replaced communal land ownership with individual allotments, weakening tribal identity
What was offered to Native Americans under the Dawes act?
- NA who accepted the allotments and adopted a ‘civilised’ lifestyle could apply for a US citizenship
By 1900, how many Native Americans had gained citizenship through the Dawes act?
8%
When was Lone Wolf v Hitchcock and what was the outcome?
- 1903
- supreme court ruled that congress had the authority to revoke treaties without NA permission
- limited NA legal rights
What principle did the Lone Wolf ruling establish?
- confirmed that Congress had absoloute power over NA affairs
- including the authority to override treaties without Native consent.
How did the reservation system affect NA movement and freedom after 1865?
- Natives were confined to reservations
- lost freedom of movement
- became dependent on federal rations
What impact did reservation conditions have on NA health?
poor sanitation, malnutrition, and lack of healthcare led to high morality rates and disease outbreaks
What role did missionaries play in Native American life post 1865?
- missionaries aimed to convert Native Americans to Christianity and supress traditional spiritual practices
- often through establishing schools and churches on reservations
What was a famous Native American boarding school?
Carlisle Indian Industrial School
What was the purpose of Native American boarding schools?
- assimilate NA children
- attempted to eradicate their languages, customs and tribal identities
What were the methods used in Native American boarding schools to supress Native identity?
students were forced to cut their hair, wear Western clothing, adopt English names, speak only English
What phrase summarised the goal of assimilation through education at schools like Carlisle?
- ‘kill the Indian, save the man’
- a motto which promoted cultural erosion through forced assimilation
By 1900 how many Native American children were enrolled in boarding schools?
over 20,000
What was the main economic aim of the Dawes Act?
make NA into self-sufficient farmers through individual land ownership
How much Native American land was lost as a result of the Dawes act by 1934?
66 million acres of land
What problems did Native American face with their Dawes act land allotments?
- land was often too small or infertile for sustainable farming
- leading to poverty and forced land sales
How did many Native Americans lost their land after receiving allotments?
- Economic issues led to many to sell their land to white settlers
- often below market price
What was the 25-year trust period under the Dawes act?
Native American land was held in a trust by the government for 25 years before full ownership was granted, delaying self-sufficiency
When was the Curtis Act and what occured?
- 1898
- dismantled tribal landholding and governance in Indian Territory
- leading to significant land loss and economic instability
Who were the Five Civilised Tribes under the Curtis Act?
- Choctaw
- Chickasaw
- Muskogee
- Cherokee
- Seminole
