Question

The Dawes Severalty Act

a) Ended the conflicts between the United States government and the Native American tribes.
b) Restored all of the land west of the Mississippi to the Native Americans.
c) Ended the settlement of white Americans in the western territories.
d) Was intended to "civilize" the Native Americans by separating their land holdings into individual plots for Native American families.

Answer 1

The Dawes Severalty Act was created to assimilate Native Americans by dividing their communal lands into individual family plots, with surplus lands sold to white settlers, thus ending tribal communal living and impacting their sovereignty.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer to the multiple-choice question regarding the intention of the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 is option (d) Was intended to "civilize" the Native Americans by separating their land holdings into individual plots for Native American families. This act was an attempt by the U.S. government to assimilate Native Americans into the Euro-American way of life by allotting individual plots of land to heads of families and individuals, thus ending communal tribal land ownership. The act also provided a bureaucratic mechanism for redistributing leftover "surplus" lands to white settlers by making it available for purchase after Native American allotments were determined.

This policy changed the historical communal land ownership practiced by Native American tribes to the Euro-American concept of private property. The allocated lands, often arid and less fertile, were to be held in trust by the government for 25 years. After this period, full title and citizenship would be granted to the landowners. However, the act resulted in a significant loss of Native American land to white Americans and was a major blow to Native American sovereignty and way of life.