Which act allowed the U.S. government to break up tribal land and promote assimilation of Native Americans?

The Dawes Act, passed in 1887, was designed specifically to promote the assimilation of Native Americans into American society by breaking up tribal lands into individual parcels. This act aimed to transform the communal living of Native American tribes into individual family farming, which was seen as a step toward integrating Native Americans into the broader American culture. Under the Dawes Act, tribal lands were surveyed, and allotments were given to individual Native Americans. The excess land that was not allocated to Native American individuals could then be sold to non-Native settlers.

This approach reflected the prevailing belief of the time that Native Americans should abandon their traditional ways of life and adopt those of white Americans. By doing so, the U.S. government aimed to encourage Native Americans to become landowners and farmers, which was seen as a means to promote their self-sufficiency and help them fit into American society.

In contrast, the Indian Removal Act of 1830 focused on the forced relocation of Native American tribes from their ancestral lands, primarily in the southeastern United States, to designated Indian Territory west of the Mississippi River. The Homestead Act facilitated westward expansion by granting land to settlers willing to farm it, while the Reservations Act established defined areas for Native American tribes to live,