The Dawes Act
- Rosie Jayde Uyola
- Dec 15, 2025
- 4 min read
Updated: Dec 19, 2025
Target: I can explain how the Dawes Act used land ownership and assimilation to destroy Native American culture and tribal identity.
Key Vocabulary
Assimilation: Forcing a group to change their language, clothes, and culture to be like the majority group.
Allotment: A small piece of land given to an individual person (instead of the whole tribe owning it).
Reservation: Land set aside by the government for Native Americans to live on.
Sovereignty: The power of a group (like a tribe) to govern itself.
Part 1: Do Now (5 minutes)
Directions: Read the prompt below and write a 5-8 sentence response.
Prompt: Identity Erasure. Imagine the government passes a new law stating that your culture is "backward" and "wrong." To become a citizen and own a home, you must:
|
Sentence Starter: If I had to change everything about myself to keep my home, I (would/would not) agree because... Even if I changed my clothes and name, I feel that... However, losing my language would mean...
Part 2: Analyzing the Sources
Directions: Analyze the two documents below and then complete the three tasks that follow.
Source 1: The Dawes Act (General Allotment Act), 1887
Original Text | Simplified Text |
"Be it enacted... That in all cases where any tribe or band of Indians... reside upon any reservation... the President of the United States be... authorized to allot the lands in said reservation in severalty [individually] to any Indian located thereon..." | "The President is allowed to take reservation land that belongs to the whole tribe and chop it up into small, individual pieces (allotments) for individual Native Americans." |
"Sec. 6. That every Indian born within the territorial limits of the United States who has voluntarily taken up... his residence separate and apart from any tribe of Indians therein, and has adopted the habits of civilized life, is hereby declared to be a citizen of the United States." | "Any Native American who separates themselves from their tribe, lives apart from them, and adopts 'civilized' (white) habits will be allowed to become a U.S. citizen." |
Source 2: Captain Richard H. Pratt, Speech on Education, 1892
Original Text | Simplified Text |
"A great general has said that the only good Indian is a dead one... I agree with the sentiment, but only in this: that all the Indian there is in the race should be dead. Kill the Indian in him, and save the man..." | "People say 'the only good Indian is a dead Indian.' I agree, but I don't mean killing the person. I mean killing the 'Indian' part of them (their culture). We must kill their culture to save the human being." |
"It is a great mistake to think that the Indian is born an inevitable savage. He is born a blank... Transfer the savage-born infant to the surroundings of civilization, and he will grow to possess a civilized language and habit." | "Native Americans aren't born savages. They are born like blank slates. If you move a Native child into a white 'civilized' environment, they will grow up acting just like a white person." |
Analysis Tasks
Directions: Complete Task A and B on your own. Then, work with a partner for Task C.
Task A: Annotate (Circle or Underline in the text above)
In Source 1, circle the words that say a Native American must live "separate and apart" to be a citizen.
In Source 2, underline the phrase that explains Pratt's main goal ("Kill the... Save the...").
Task B: Translate
Rewrite Section 6 of the Dawes Act (Source 1) in your own words. What is the "deal" the government is offering?
My Translation: The law says that if a Native American wants to be a citizen, they must...
Task C: Evaluate (Work with your partner)
Create a T-Chart below. List what the government SAID they were doing (their goal) versus what was ACTUALLY happening to the people (the impact).
Government's Goal (What they claimed) | Actual Impact (What really happened) |
They claimed they were giving… | In reality, to get this "gift," people had to... |
They claimed they were teaching... | In reality, Richard Pratt admits he wanted to "Kill"... |
Part 3: Exit Ticket (5 minutes)
Directions: Answer the following prompt in a complete paragraph (5-8 sentences).
Prompt: Historians describe the Dawes Act as a policy of "Assimilation." In a detailed paragraph, evaluate this policy. Was it a legitimate attempt to help Native Americans fit into the United States, or was it a form of cultural genocide? Use the phrase "Kill the Indian, Save the Man" in your response to support your argument. |
Sentence Starter: I believe the Dawes Act was (an attempt to help / a form of cultural genocide) because... While the government claimed they were offering citizenship, Source 1 proves that... Richard Pratt admitted in Source 2 that his goal was to "Kill the Indian, Save the Man," which means... Therefore, the result of this policy was...
