Final answer:
The best description of the federal government's actions towards Native Americans after the Civil War is 'Strict restrictions'. The government imposed treaties, forced relocation, and aimed to control Native American lands and autonomy despite occasional expressions of regret from figures like Ulysses S. Grant. Option b is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
The federal government’s actions towards Native Americans after the Civil War are best described as b) Strict restrictions. In the period following the Civil War, known as Reconstruction, the federal government took responsibility for administrating the southern states, which included handling Native American affairs.
Policies during this time were characterized by coercive treaties and forced relocation. The U.S. government sought to confine Native Americans to reservations, often on undesirable lands, while opening up their ancestral territories for white settlement and exploitation.
President Andrew Johnson showed little regard for Native American interests, and while some of his successors like Ulysses S. Grant showed regret over mistreatment, they often failed to conceive alternatives to the reservation system.
Military officers and federal policy-makers, influenced by negative views formed during the Civil War and frequent skirmishes in the West, often regarded Native Americans as vanquished foes or enemies, justifying harsh policies.
Additionally, the Treaties of 1866 made with the Five Tribes in the Indian Territory imposed land cessions and social restructuring upon Native Americans, further exemplifying the strict restrictions they faced.
While some of these treaties included provisions for rights and privileges, they were part of a broader strategy of consolidation and control by the federal government over Native American lands and autonomy.