AH2 Native Americans in the West

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That in all cases where any tribe or band of Indians has been, or shall hereafter be, located upon any reservation created for their use . . . the President of the United States . . . is, authorized . . . to allot the lands in said reservation . . . to any Indian located thereon . . .

—Dawes Severalty Act, 1887

How was this act supposed to promote the assimilation of Native Americans into mainstream society?

• A. by helping Native Americans receive training for employment

• B. by simplifying the process for Native Americans to become U.S. citizens

• C. by encouraging Native Americans to own private property, become farmers, and leave reservations.

• D. by reducing Native Americans’ dependence on U.S. government aid programs

Treaties made in the Pacific Northwest stipulated that the U.S. government would provide education to Native Americans living on reservations. Though it took several years, day schools and boarding schools were eventually established on reservations. In addition, boarding schools . . . were established off reservations. Students were required to live at boarding schools most of the year, thereby removing them from the influence of their families and traditional cultures. —Library of Congress

What was the purpose of the treaties described in the excerpt?

• A. to encourage Native Americans to remain on reservation lands

• B. to pass legislation to ensure Native Americans political rights

• C. to promote the assimilation of Native Americans into mainstream culture

• D. to encourage Native Americans to retain their tribal identities and traditions

The question then is, whether an Indian is, merely by reason of his birth within the United States, and of his afterwards voluntarily separating himself from his tribe and taking up his residence among white citizens, a citizen of the United States. Plaintiff did not acquire national citizenship on abandoning his tribe and therefore is not entitled to any of the rights, privileges, or immunities of citizens of the United States.

Adapted from majority decision by Justice Horace Gray in Elk v. Wilkins (1884)

Based on the text, how did the Supreme Court ruling in Elk v. Wilkins (1884) affect the interpretation of citizenship?

• A. It denied American Indians U.S. citizenship by birth.

• B. It limited citizenship to some American Indians on reservations.

• C. It extended citizenship to American Indians who had been assimilated. hip

• D. It allowed American Indians to vote if they intended to seek citizens

How did white American buffalo hunting practices contribute to Grant's plan to nonviolently acculturate natives into American lifestyles?

• A. Dwindling buffalo populations threatened traditional native lifestyles, making assimilation to American customs necessary to survival.

• B. Americans were able to hunt buffalo so efficiently that many Native American tribes looked to the U.S. to improve their hunting methods.

• C. Buffalo hunters tended to live closely with Native American tribes, allowing American customs to subtly permeate native cultures

• D. Natives were eager to obtain the Americans' processed buffalo products and were willing to adopt American customs to do so​

The curriculum at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School was most dedicated to

• A. demonstrating America's cultural superiority to Indian societies.

• B. instilling Indian students with a sense of pride in their own culture.

• C. teaching Indians to perform menial tasks Americans refused to do.

• D. preserving Indian culture alongside white American culture

Native American landholdings fell from 138 million acres in 1887 to 48 million acres in 1934. What explains the reduction in the amount of land owned by Native Americans during this time?

• A. The Interstate Commerce Act encouraged entrepreneurs to build factories on land bought from Native Americans.

• B. The federal government purchased most land owned by Native Americans through the Homestead Act.

• C. Many Native Americans gave up farming because the Morrill Act provided free training in skilled trades.

• D. The Dawes Act allowed the federal government to sell surplus land to non–Native Americans.