LAD #25: Dawes Severalty Act

           In February 1887, the Dawes Severalty Act was passed as a continuation of the policy or creating and populating Indian reservations. A system  of procedure was set up to allot tracts of reservation land to families to "own," while the land still fell in the domain of the United States. Rather than forcing Indians onto the land, land was to be allotted systematically. One quater of each section was given to the head of each family, one eighth was given to any person over the age of 18 and one sixteenth was given to people under the age of 18 who were born before the creation of this new system. There were many other parts to the Dawes Act that were beneficial to the landholder, including extra grazing land. To prevent conflict, provisional lines were drawn that ensured the total amount of land given to each person or family is equal to the remainder of the land they were entitled to during the original passing of the act. If suitable lines are not drawn in four years, they will be drawn by the Secretary of the Interior. The issue of an Indians not on reservations, they can still acquire land if they apply to the local land office. Patents can be handed out, ensuring land is owned by Indians within the domain of the United States for twenty-five years. The Secretary of the Interior regulates the extension, selling, and purchasing of land. The U.S. also holds the right to use sold land for redistribution of settled homes, immigration systems, or education. Also, religious organizations in the middle of the reservation will be allowed and given a tract of land up to 160 acres. Citizenship is offered to Indians who comply with the act. This does not apply to displaced Indians under Jackson's administration as well as the Seneca Nation in New York. The act also lacks protection of Indian land from being crossed by railroads, telegraph lines, or other public uses.