Syllabus Edition
First teaching 2016
Last exams 2025
Changing Government Attitudes Toward the Indigenous Peoples of the Plains (Edexcel GCSE History)
Revision Note
Written by: Zoe Wade
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Why did the US Government's Attitudes Change Toward Indigenous Peoples by the 1880s? - Summary
The government had many different influences on their decision-making. Some people believed that the Indigenous peoples could assimilate into US society. They wanted the government to encourage Christianity and farming among Indigenous peoples. Other people were scared of indigenous peoples and wanted them on reservations to separate them from society. Another group of Americans believed that Indigenous peoples should be exterminated to keep the USA safe. The US government had to navigate these varying opinions in their treatment of Indigenous peoples.
By the late 1880s, the situation between the US government and the indigenous peoples had changed. The US policy of reservations had destroyed the Indigenous way of life. Tribes could no longer govern themselves. They removed the Indigenous peoples' ability to have a nomadic lifestyle. They also insisted on educating indigenous children to be Christian and reject their culture. The government's actions left many Indigenous peoples in poverty and illness. Indigenous peoples relied on government support, despite incentives to become self-sufficient through farming.
The government decided to adopt a new approach. They understood that the reservation system was too damaging to indigenous peoples. They also understood that the tribal structure still existed, with people relying on each other to survive. The government wanted the indigenous peoples to live more independently, like US citizens.
Aims of the Dawes Act
The Dawes Act aimed to:
Break up the power of tribes
Some chiefs still influenced Indigenous peoples in reservations
The US government wanted Indigenous peoples to live as individuals
Indigenous peoples would no longer rely on the tribe or annuity, reducing government costs
Encourage Indigenous peoples to assimilate
The US government wanted Indigenous peoples to farm
Assimilation would open up more land for settlers
The Terms of the Dawes Act, 1887
Size of plot | Who could claim? | Additional clause of the Dawes Act |
|---|---|---|
Family homesteads were 160 acres. Single Indigenous persons gained 80 acres and orphans 40 acres | Any of the following people could make a claim:
Anyone who claimed a plot would become a US citizen | Congress only passed the Dawes Act because it stated that leftover reservation land could be sold to white settlers and railroad companies |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
The American West exam relies on you knowing specific details about the period. Sometimes this can feel overwhelming. To help with this, try to make connections between key pieces of knowledge. The Dawes Act was essentially a Homestead Act for indigenous peoples. Ensure that you know the details of the Homestead Act so you can use this knowledge for the Dawes Act, for example, the size of the plot being 160 acres.
The Significance and Issues of the Dawes Act
Achievements | Limitations |
|---|---|
The Dawes Act freed up a significant amount of land for white settlers and railroad companies | By 1890, Indigenous peoples had lost over half the land that they held in 1887 |
Indigenous persons who took up plots could not farm the land. The soil was of poor quality and the plots were too small | |
Many indigenous persons sold their plots or were cheated out of the land by white settlers. Some Indigenous persons turned to lawlessness | |
The indigenous persons who kept their plots divided it among their children for inheritance. Smaller plots made it even harder to farm |
Worked Example
Explain one consequence of the Dawes Act (1887)
4 marks
Answer:
One consequence of the Dawes Act was the loss of land for indigenous peoples. The Dawes Act gave plots of 160 acres to indigenous families to establish homesteads. This resulted in a loss of land. By 1890, the indigenous peoples had lost over half the land that they held in 1887. This is because many Indigenous persons either sold their claims because they did not want to farm them or were cheated of their claims by white settlers. Therefore, the act disadvantaged the indigenous peoples because they did not have usable land to live on.
Examiner Tips and Tricks
This question has previously asked you to explain two consequences. In the American West exam paper for 2025, this question will ask you to explain one consequence. However, there will be two different "Explain one consequence of" questions each, worth four marks.
Closure of the 'Indian Frontier', 1890
The US census in 1890 declared that the frontier was closed because:
There were enough settlers to form states in places like North and South Dakota, Montana and Idaho
Railroads crossed from East to West
Large cities grew in the West
Yosemite National Park, created in 1890, protected the remaining 'wilderness' of the USA
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