Curated OER
Federal Indian Policy
Students recognize the provisions of federal Indian policy. In this Federal Indian Policy instructional activity, students research legal documents (treaties). Students research the Montana tribes. Students answer critical...
US National Archives
Our Documents: Dawes Act (1887)
Read about the development, purpose, and effect of the Dawes Act, which was also known as the General Allotment Act. This site has images of the original document.
PBS
Pbs the West: The Nez Perce and the Dawes Act
This companion article from the PBS series, "New Perspectives on the West," offers a lesson plan which approaches the Dawes Act from the perspective of the Nez Perce.
Nebraska Studies
Nebraska Studies: The Dawes Act
The Dawes Act, also known as the General Allotment Act, was written by Henry Dawes in an attempt to assimilate Native Americans into American culture. Use this site to learn about what propelled Dawes to write this document and how his...
Cornell University
Cornell University: The Rush to Oklahoma
An observation printed in Harper's Weekly in 1889 about the Oklahoma land rush into the Indian Territory.
PBS
Pbs Archives of the West: Dawes Act
The text of the famous Dawes Act of 1887 which attempted to provide allotment of lands to Native Americans.
Other
Native American Documents Project
This scholarly project from California State University analyzes the effect of the Dawes Act, or General Allotment Act, which divided Indian lands into individual holdings to promote assimilation by deliberately destroying tribal...
![Overview of Federal Indian Policy [Pdf] PPT](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Overview of Federal Indian Policy [Pdf] PPT")
Northern Arizona University
Overview of Federal Indian Policy [Pdf]
Since the United States became a nation, federal Indian policy has seen many significant changes. Some of the shifts in policy may, at first glance, seem rather contradictory. However, when considering the underlying assumptions and when...
Yale University
Avalon Project: Dawes Act 1887
Offers the text of the Dawes Act of 1887 which attempted to allot land to Native Americans to aid in their assimilation.
Other
Federal Indian Policy: Bureaucrats or Bullets?
The making of federal Indian policy in the United States during the 19th century was marked by disagreement among all parties. The areas of disagreement that stood out most were (1) What is the legal/constitutional status of Indians and...
PBS
Pbs: Archives of the West: Selections From "With the Nez Perces"
Contains selections from "With the Nez Perces: Alice Fletcher in the Field, 1889-92" by E. Jane Gay, which provided an anthropological look at the Nez Perce Indians and their bewilderment at the Dawes Act.
Other
U.s. History on the Web: The Dawes Severalty Act (1887)
Explore how the Dawes Act of 1887 attempted to encourage Native Americans into a life of agriculture and to provide Indian schools which would emphasize agricultural and technical skills.
Other
Kansas History: The Last Land Rush
A brief description of the land rush onto the Cherokee Strip, land sold by the Cherokees to the U.S. government in 1891.
Quia
Quia: Latitude and Longitude Quiz
This one question matching quiz will help you learn the correct order of US Federal Indian policies. The quiz has a 15 minute time limit.