Passed by Congress in 1887, the Dawes Act—formally known as the General Allotment Act—authorized the US government to survey and divide federal Indigenous reservationsinto private lots for individual tribal members. The Dawes Act’s central idea of “allotment” became the foundation of federal Indigenouspolicy well into the twentieth century, with disastrous results for Indigenous people in Colorado and throughout the nation.
Many white observers, such as Senator Henry Dawes of Massachusetts, the act’s sponsor, thought the law would help “civilize” Indigenous peopleand protect what remained of their land. However, as many Indigenous leaders realized, the Dawes Act undermined indigenous sovereignty and brought Indian land into the US legal system, which served only to benefit non-Indians.