How Did The Dawes Act Characterize The Gilded Age

Immense economic growth characterizes the Gilded Age, which marks the period from the end of Reconstruction up until World War I. This economic growth made for a large demand for new land to settle and profit from, while the supply of unexplored land in the continental United States was dwindling. After being pushed increasingly westward through Manifest Destiny, Indians were left on small reservations in remote corners of the country. As if that was not punishment enough, during this era, Indians were further victim to greed and desire justified by American Exceptionalism disguised in a seemingly favorable treaty proposed by Senator Dawes of Massachusetts. The Dawes Act — passed by Congress in 1887 — was falsely characterized as a system of

The mission of the act, stated in the first section, is to “provide in severalty to Indians on the various reservations and to extend the protection of the laws of the United States” (Dawes Severalty). Motives of providing “protection of the laws,” compelled the Indians Rights Association to support the effort, labelling it a “humanitarian reform” (Sendrow). Despite this label, the Dawes Act did not fully represent reparations because its measures ultimately benefitted whites just as much as Indians. For example, in Section 5, Dawes adds that “if in the opinion of the President it shall be for the best interests of said tribe, it shall be lawful for the Secretary of Interior to negotiate with such Indian tribe for the purchase and release” (Dawes Severalty). Although Dawes takes into account the Indians’ “best interest,” the President makes this dubious assessment that leaves room to justify seizure of land for white economic gain. Later in the section, Dawes details that the land will be doled out “in tracts not exceeding one hundred and sixty acres to any one person” (Dawes Act). While Congress appears to be granting properly sized homesteads, they conveniently equivocate that their generosity carries little burden because, as detailed later, the land granted was

For instance, in Section 1, Dawes asserts that the president is “authorized whenever in his opinion any reservation or any part thereof of such Indians is advantageous for agricultural and grazing purposes, to cause said reservation, or any part thereof, to be surveyed, or resurveyed if necessary” (Dawes Severalty). The government essentially gives itself the permission to redistribute the land if it is economically beneficial for themselves, demonstrating clearly that economic needs supersede a commitment to Indian prosperity. In a similar vein, in Section 10, Congress ensures it retains the “right of way through any lands granted to an Indian… for railroad or other highways” (Dawes Severalty). Congress again permits itself to revoke or intrude on Indian lands if the area could potentially contribute to the national economy and thus develop it through infrastructure. Further insinuating deception of land grants, Section 8 excludes the act from the tribes located in the Indian Territory (Dawes Severalty). Having already been pushed into the Indian Territory, which is a favorable circumstance at this time from the white perspective, Dawes reveals that his end goal is to gain more white land and disproves his supposed motive of improving the lives of all Indians. For the first time, Dawes mentions