The Dawes Act of 1887
If centuries of disease, warfare, famine and disruption of their traditional societies and ways of life weren't enough injustice for Natives to suffer, the Dawes Act of 1887 and related legislation added to the misery. The Dawes Act, also known as the Dawes Severalty Act or the General Allotment Act of 1887, was an act passed by Congress to reduce the amount of lands given to Natives through reservation treaties by providing each family a homestead allotment of 160 acres and full citizenship. Or, that was how it was supposed to work. In the later half of the 19th century, Settlers had spread across the American west and land was becoming scarce. Congressional policy makers began to look toward Native land to make up the shortfall. White Settlers in Oklahoma were anxious to bring it into the Union as a state, which meant shedding the Indian Territory designation. That was easier said than done. For decades the federal government had signed various treaties consigning tribes