Final answer:
The most damaging feature of the Reconstruction treaties of 1866 to the Five Tribes was D. Payment of reparations, which created a dependency on government provisions instead of providing financial compensation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Reconstruction treaties of 1866, important in the history of Native American relations, were established following the Civil War and affected the social and political structures within the Five Tribes in the Indian Territory.
One of the significant terms of these treaties was the land cessions required of each tribe to the federal government, which subsequently created an area known as the Unassigned Lands.
Additionally, these treaties mandated that tribes adopt former slaves as tribal members, providing them with equal rights and privileges.
Many natives viewed the treaties with skepticism, as they were often signed under duress or by those without proper authority.
These treaties provided modicum payment in the form of annual stipends of basic provisions rather than cash, affecting the sovereignty and independence of the tribes.
Later government acts, like the Curtis Act of 1898, further undermined the autonomy of Native American tribes by abolishing tribal governments.
The most damaging feature of these treaties to the Five Tribes was D. Payment of reparations. The reparations were not given in cash but in basic provisions, which many natives were not allowed to distribute themselves, creating dependence on government supplies.