The Dawes Act of 1887 aimed to achieve what goal with Native American lands?

• A. To consolidate tribal lands into large reservations
• B. To allot land to individual Native Americans for farming
• C. To transfer all land to state control
• D. To promote communal land ownership among tribes

Answer: (B)

The Dawes Act of 1887 aimed primarily to allot land to individual Native Americans for farming. This act represented a significant shift in U.S. policy towards Native Americans, moving away from a focus on tribal sovereignty and communal land ownership toward an emphasis on individual land ownership. The law sought to break up the reservation system that had existed, which traditionally held land collectively for tribes, and instead encourage the assimilation of Native Americans into Euro-American agricultural practices.

Under the Dawes Act, individual Native American families were granted parcels of land—typically 160 acres to each household—with the intention of promoting agricultural development and self-sufficiency. The broader goal was to integrate Native Americans into American society, which many policymakers of that era believed would ultimately lead to the destruction of Native American culture and communal living.

The act also included provisions that allowed the government to sell any surplus land that was not allotted to individuals, further facilitating the transfer of Native lands to white settlers. This shift had lasting impacts on Native American communities, leading to significant loss of land and cultural disruption.