Question

What was oklahomans' final act to secure statehood?

Answer 1

The final act that secured Oklahoma statehood was the Curtis Act of 1898, which removed land protections from Native American tribes and opened up millions of acres for non-Indian settlement, contributing to the state's eventual incorporation into the United States.

Step-by-step explanation:

Oklahomans' Final Act to Secure Statehood

The journey to Oklahoma statehood involved several land rushes where settlers could stake their claims, starting with the land rush of April 22, 1889, and followed by another on September 16, 1893, targeting the area known as the Cherokee Strip.

However, it was the Curtis Act of 1898 that was pivotal in dissolving the land protections for the Five Civilized Tribes, which included the Choctaw, Cherokee, Chickasaw, Muscogee, and Seminoles. This act opened up millions of acres over the next two decades to non-Indian settlement and exploitation, including valuable mineral and oil resources. The act, thereby removing the restrictions on land allotment, paved the way ultimately for Oklahoma's incorporation into the United States.

Oklahoma's path to statehood also reflected the broader historical context of Native American dispossession, such as the Indian Removal Act and the debates over slave and free states, but the final act which secured statehood was the culmination of land policies that transferred control from Native Americans to the federal government and non-Indian settlers.

Answer 2

After several territorial conventions between the settlers and native peoples of the Oklahoma territory, the Oklahoma Enabling Act was passed in 1906 which laid the groundwork for the territory to finally be accepted into the union as the United State's 46th state.