LAD #25: Dawes Act

The Dawes Act was made to re-organize and redistribute reservation land into land for individual Indians, their own private property. Native Americans 18 and above, including orphans, got 1/8 of a piece of land, while adults in charge of a family will get 1/4th- of which they could stay on or sell. The land is supposed to be used to produce crops or for animals to graze. Dawes Act also includes laws for the reservation- Indians can apply to become American citizens and work for the government. The land, if there is not enough, is divided by a class system and also by an agent, who would give out patents of ownership. Indians who don't live on reservations can ask and apply for land. Once they've stayed on the land for five years, the land is forever theirs.