3. Native American Civil Rights and the Dawes Act (1887)

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  • Created by: Alasdair
  • Created on: 06-06-17 09:51
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  • Native American Civil Rights and the Dawes Act (1887)
    • Response of government to fact reservations had allowed NAs to retain some culture and customs
    • 1887
    • Dawes Severalty Act
    • Act turned NAs into landowners and gave them full citizenship because they now paid taxes.
      • Further undermined position as it ignored NA's belief that land belonged to all creatures and could not be owned by individuals
    • Resulted in decline in land held by NAs as much of it was bought by white settlers when NAs were unable to farm it.
      • Although received money from sale, often unable to manage such sums and therefore slopped further into poverty and debt
    • Act also worsened position of many NA women
      • Particularly true of matriarchal tribes (e.g. Iroquois and Cherokee)
      • Property belonged to women
      • Under Dawes Act, land was given to men
    • Five Civilised Tribes
      • Initially exempt from Dawes Act
      • 1898, Curtis Act ended exemption
        • Tribes attempted unsuccessfully to prevent this:
          • Proposed lands became state of Sequoyah
          • Because of failure, NAs lost further 2 million acres of land
      • Cherokee Nation v. Hitchcock case of 1902
        • Cherokees challenged Congress's right to deny them them rights to live according to their laws
      • Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock case
        • Gave gov right to revoke all treaties with NAs
        • Stated Mas were 'an ignorant and dependent race' who were not citizens of USA and therefore had no rights
    • By outbreak of war in 1914 - position of NAs
      • Changed from their perspective to the worse
      • Lands given to them by treaty in 1860s had often been taken away
      • Now denied right to negotiate over land
      • Although given rights through Dawes Act, meant little in practice as often discriminated against regardless
      • Development of allotment process meant lost identity which at least had been preserved to some extent albeit unintentionally through reservation system
      • Also lost pride and self-respect as often dependent on gov for food
      • Therefore, by 1914, many NAs had seen their already miserable lives deteriorate even further
    • Dawes Severalty Act
      • Divided reservations up into plots or allotments which were given to NAs
      • As result they now owned land
    • Allotment Process
      • Reservation lands divided into homesteads or allotted
      • Hence term by Dawes Act
      • Process attempted to turn NAs into landholders, further destroying their tribal culture

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