Dbq Dawes Act

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The Dawes Act of 1887 was named after Senator Henry Dawes from Massachusetts. The act was written to break up reservations into smaller segments and to give those segments out to individuals. The act did not carry out its purpose to protect lands, agricultural conflicts rose, and problems with inheritance surfaced. There were several groups that the act did not initially affect, as outlined in Section 8 of the act which reads: “the provisions of this act shall not extend to the territory occupied by the Cherokees, Creeks, Choctaws, Chickasaws, Seminoles,” among other groups, territories, and reservations. These provisions were later extended to the groups mentioned in the Section 8 Clause. Enrollment in the Bureau of Indian Affairs was needed…show more content…
The European’s forceful approach toward native peoples crushed any possibility of forming successful, genuine relationships with them. Invasion of lands and forced assimilation was commonly executed during this time. This complete lack of respect prevented Europeans and Natives from learning from one another and sharing the land and its resources effectively. First communications with the Natives went well; they were very generous and willing to share with Europeans upon their arrival. It is said they responded with “cautious hospitality and goodwill”. Natives were right to have followed those intuitions, and became less enthusiastic about trading after they had been mistreated. Spanish soldiers arrived after surviving an “ill-fated expedition”. Natives took them in and contracted a fatal disease that killed half of them. Spaniards soon took advantage of the Natives’ hospitality and embarked upon a mission to find gold. They insisted that a forcible entry would take place unless the Natives accepted their church, King, and Queen.They proceeded with these demands and made Indians their gold mine…show more content…
They stumbled upon an Iroquois “war party” which ended in a bloody battle. The French tried to convert the Indians to their religion by trading precious metals with them. Many Natives did convert to Catholicism and even moved into French villages. Half of the first English settlers in Jamestown died within the first year and did not seem to pose a threat to the Indians. John Smith befriended them to learn about their interactions with Spanish explorers as a way to learn how to deal with the Indians himself. Soon Englishmen were seizing their corn and eventually inflicted a surprise attack on their main village. Puritans tried converting Indians to Christianity in violent, oppressive ways much like the Spanish and the

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