LAD#25-Dawes Severalty Act

Dawes Severalty Act

The Dawes Act gives the President the right to allot a portion of land from a reservation to a head of each family. The President also has the right to designate portions of land for grazing and farming practices. Not only was this act an attempt to diminish the land holdings of the Indians, but it also was an attempt to assimilate them into American culture. By selling the Indians these plots of lands, the government was ultimately giving the Indians an opportunity to take on the Western American lifestyle.