The principal aim of the Dawes Act was to

Answer: Dissolve communal tribal landholding and assimilate Native Americans into individual farming Reformers and land speculators alike supported the act, which broke reservations into individual allotments. Surplus lands were sold to non-Native settlers, transferring roughly two-thirds of remaining tribal land out of Native hands by 1934.

The act's chief purpose was to:

Answer: Break up tribal landholding and assimilate Native peoples into private property ownership Dawes aimed to dissolve communal tribal land into individual allotments, accelerating cultural assimilation and opening "surplus" reservation land to white settlers.

Which later policy most clearly reversed the assimilationist logic of the Dawes Act?

Answer: The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 The 1934 Indian Reorganization Act ended allotment and restored tribal self-government, repudiating the Dawes assimilationist framework.

AP US History · Topic 6.3

Westward Expansion: Social and Cultural Development Practice

Part of Period 6: 1865–1898.

Practice questions

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Sample questions

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Sample 1difficulty 2/5
$"The President of the United States be, and he hereby is, authorized, whenever in his opinion any reservation... is advantageous for agricultural and grazing purposes, to cause said reservation... to be surveyed... and to allot the lands in said reservation in severalty to any Indian located thereon... to each head of a family, one-quarter of a section." — Dawes Severalty Act, 1887$
$The principal aim of the Dawes Act was to$
- A
  $Establish self-governing reservations under Native sovereignty$
- B
  $Fund Bureau of Indian Affairs schools through tribal land sales$
- C
  $Dissolve communal tribal landholding and assimilate Native Americans into individual farming$
  check_circle
- D
  $Restore lands seized during the Indian Wars to their original tribes$
Why
$Reformers and land speculators alike supported the act, which broke reservations into individual allotments. Surplus lands were sold to non-Native settlers, transferring roughly two-thirds of remaining tribal land out of Native hands by 1934.$
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Sample 2difficulty 3/5
$"In all cases where any tribe or band of Indians has been, or shall hereafter be, located upon any reservation... the President of the United States be... authorized... to allot the lands in said reservation in severalty to any Indian located thereon... To each head of a family, one-quarter of a section." — Dawes Severalty Act, 1887$
$The act's chief purpose was to:$
- A
  $Establish federal protection of bison herds on the Plains$
- B
  $Recognize tribal sovereignty and treaty-making authority$
- C
  $Compensate tribes for losses during the Indian Wars$
- D
  $Break up tribal landholding and assimilate Native peoples into private property ownership$
  check_circle
Why
$Dawes aimed to dissolve communal tribal land into individual allotments, accelerating cultural assimilation and opening "surplus" reservation land to white settlers.$
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Sample 3difficulty 3/5
$"In all cases where any tribe or band of Indians has been, or shall hereafter be, located upon any reservation... the President of the United States be... authorized... to allot the lands in said reservation in severalty to any Indian located thereon... To each head of a family, one-quarter of a section." — Dawes Severalty Act, 1887$
$Which later policy most clearly reversed the assimilationist logic of the Dawes Act?$
- A
  $The Curtis Act of 1898$
- B
  $The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934$
  check_circle
- C
  $The Burke Act of 1906$
- D
  $Termination policy of the 1950s$
Why
$The 1934 Indian Reorganization Act ended allotment and restored tribal self-government, repudiating the Dawes assimilationist framework.$
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Sample 4difficulty 3/5
$"In all cases where any tribe or band of Indians has been, or shall hereafter be, located upon any reservation... the President of the United States be... authorized... to allot the lands in said reservation in severalty to any Indian located thereon... To each head of a family, one-quarter of a section." — Dawes Severalty Act, 1887$
$By 1934 the act had most directly resulted in:$
- A
  $The return of the Plains to bison-based subsistence economies$
- B
  $An expansion of tribal sovereignty over reservation governance$
- C
  $Universal U.S. citizenship for all Native Americans by 1900$
- D
  $A loss of roughly two-thirds of Native-held land base$
  check_circle
Why
$Allotment, fee patenting, and "surplus" land sales reduced Native land from about 138 million acres in 1887 to roughly 48 million by 1934.$
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Sample 5difficulty 3/5
$"I am tired of fighting. Our chiefs are killed. The old men are all dead. It is the young men who say yes or no. He who led the young men is dead. It is cold and we have no blankets. The little children are freezing to death. Hear me, my chiefs. I am tired; my heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands I will fight no more forever." — Chief Joseph, Surrender Speech, 1877$
$The conflict was rooted in U.S. demands that the Nez Perce$
- A
  $Join the Five Civilized Tribes in Oklahoma$
- B
  $Cede Wallowa Valley lands and move onto a smaller reservation$
  check_circle
- C
  $Convert to Mormonism$
- D
  $Surrender hunting rights in Yellowstone$
Why
$The 1863 "Steal Treaty" reduced Nez Perce lands by 90%; Joseph's band refused removal until the army forced action in 1877.$
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