Answer:
The Dawes Act of 1887 was a law passed by Congress that authorized the President of the United States to survey Native American land and divide it among Indian individuals. Those who accepted the distribution and lived separately from their tribes would obtain American citizenship. This law was amended in 1891, and then amended again in 1906 by the Burke Act.
This law was named after its author, Senator Henry Laurens Dawes from Massachusetts. The purpose of the Dawes Act was to encourage the process of cultural assimilation of Native Americans. Ownership of land by individuals such as Europeans was considered an important step because it would break tribal ties. In this law there was also an "excess" of land after the distribution that could be sold to non-native Americans.
The Dawes Act adversely affected Native Americans by ending ownership of shared property. Land owned by Native Americans decreased from 138 million acres (560,000 km2) in 1887 to 48 million acres (190,000 km2) in 1934.
On June 18, 1934, the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration replaced this law with the Indian Reorganization Act which ended the division of land, launched a "New Deal" program for Native Americans, and restored their right to regroup with their tribes and form a government themselves.
