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Difficulty: HardWestward Expansion and American Indians

"The division of their common lands into allotments, to be held in severalty by individual Indians, will do more to break up their tribal relations, and to prepare them for the duties and privileges of citizenship, than any other measure that can be devised. When the Indian begins to feel that he has a home of his own, which he can improve and protect, and which he can transmit to his children, he will have taken the first step toward civilization."

— Carl Schurz, Secretary of the Interior, Annual Report, 1879

Based on the excerpt, which of the following was a primary consequence of the federal policy described by Schurz?

  1. A dramatic reduction in the total acreage of land held by Native American tribes.Answer
  2. B
    The preservation of communal reservation territory against acquisition by railroad companies and homesteaders.
  3. C
    The immediate integration of Native Americans into Southern agricultural systems with full constitutional protections.
  4. D
    The consolidation of diverse Indigenous populations into a unified political confederacy to negotiate federal treaties.

Answer

A dramatic reduction in the total acreage of land held by Native American tribes.
The correct option is correct because the allotment policy (implemented via the Dawes Act of 1887) partitioned communal tribal lands into individual family tracts. The federal government sold the remaining reservation land, deemed "surplus," to homesteaders, speculators, and railroad corporations. This resulted in Native American landholdings falling from approximately 138 million acres in 1887 to 48 million acres by 1934.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the stimulus context and the author.
The excerpt is from Carl Schurz (Secretary of the Interior) in 1879, advocating for holding land "in severalty" (individual ownership) rather than communally.
This establishes that the policy discussed is the precursor to the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887.
2
Evaluate the intent of the allotment policy.
The policy aimed to promote cultural assimilation by breaking up tribal sovereignty and communal lifestyles, replacing them with private property ownership.
Understanding the policy's goal helps identify how it was implemented and its actual consequences.
3
Assess the historical consequences of the Dawes Act of 1887.
Dividing reservations into individual allotments left vast tracts of "surplus" land. The federal government sold these surplus lands to white homesteaders, developers, and railroad companies, causing tribal landholdings to plummet from roughly 138 million acres in 1887 to 48 million acres by 1934.
Connecting the policy's implementation to the empirical outcome reveals that land loss was the primary consequence.

Key Concept

Westward Expansion and American Indians
Estimated Time:2m 0s
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Westward Expansion and American Indians

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