LAD #24

The Dawes Act

The Dawes Act, an act split into eleven components, was an act made to protect Indians from the customary harsh treatment they generally received. The sections give Indians certain rights, such as the right to land, the right to select allotments set apart by the act's provisions, the right of Native Americans agents to certify the allotments, the right to receive equal allotment even if you don't live on the land, the promise that the Secretary of the Interior would hold the allotments "in trust" for 25 years, the right to become citizens once the allotments were completed, water rights, and exemption of the five civilized tribes from some restrictions.