The Dawes Act of 1887 was a United States post-Indian Wars law that illegally dissolved 90 million acres of Native lands from 1887 to 1934. Signed into law by President Grover Cleveland on February 8, 1887, the Dawes Act expedited the cultural genocide of Native Americans. The negative effects of the Dawes Act on Indigenous tribes would result in the enactment of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, the so-called “Indian New Deal.”
Key Takeaways: The Dawes Act
- The Dawes Act was a U.S. law enacted in 1887 for the stated purpose of racistly assimilating Indigenous peoples into White society.