Changing Government Attitudes Toward the Indigenous Peoples of the Plains (Edexcel GCSE History)

The government had many different influences on their decision-making. Some people believed that the indigenous peoples could assimilate into US society. They wanted the government to encourage Christianity and farming among indigenous peoples. Other people were scared of indigenous peoples and wanted them on reservations to separate them from society. Another group of Americans believed that indigenous peoples should be exterminated to keep the USA safe. The US government had to navigate these varying opinions in their treatment of indigenous peoples.

By the late 1880s, the situation between the US government and the indigenous peoples had changed. The US policy of reservations had destroyed the indigenous way of life. Tribes could no longer govern themselves. They removed the indigenous peoples' ability to have a nomadic lifestyle. They also insisted on educating indigenous children to be Christian and reject their culture. The government's actions left many indigenous peoples in poverty and illness. Indigenous peoples relied on government support, despite incentives to become self-sufficient through farming.

The government decided to adopt a new approach. They understood that the reservation system was too damaging to indigenous peoples. They also understood that the tribal structure still existed, with people relying on each other to survive. The government wanted the indigenous peoples to live more independently, like US citizens.

Family homesteads were 160 acres. Single indigenous persons gained 80 acres and orphans 40 acres

Any of the following people could make a claim:

• The head of the family

• Single indigenous persons

• Orphans

Anyone who claimed a plot would become a US citizen

Congress only passed the Dawes Act because it stated that leftover reservation land could be sold to white settlers and railroad companies

The Dawes Act freed up a significant amount of land for white settlers and railroad companies

By 1890, indigenous peoples had lost over half the land that they held in 1887

Indigenous persons who took up plots could not farm the land. The soil was of poor quality and the plots were too small

Many indigenous persons sold their plots or were cheated out of the land by white settlers. Some indigenous persons turned to lawlessness

The indigenous persons who kept their plots divided it among their children for inheritance. Smaller plots made it even harder to farm