Allotment Act Research Paper

This Allotment Act intended to dissolve the collective relationship to land that was fundamental of traditional cultures by imposing the allegedly superior Anglo-Saxon system of individuated property ownership . Allotments of land was not a new idea. It was, at the time, in place for the Indians to take up a plot of land and to farm like their white neighbors. The first indication that allotments might become a national policy in the U.S, was with President Chester Arthur. Arthur would deliver his first annual message to Congress, proposing a plan in which Indians would be brought into mainstream American life. At the time, President Arthur felt that the nagging Indian problem could be resolved by “introducing to the Indians the customs and pursuits of civilized life and gradually to absorb them into the mass of our citizens. ”
Congress would respond to Arthurs Indian policy by coming up with the Coke Act of 1883, but would soon fail to receive majority support of the Senate. The General Allotment Act would remain and be commonly known as the Dawes Act. A period of 25 years would be established during which the Indian owner of the property was expected to learn proper business practices and once …show more content…
The Indian commissioner of the time was John Collier, who was an energetic critic for reform. Legislation would appear quickly that resulted in four titled bills presented to Congress early in 1934 that would create the Meriam Report. This report would be the gateway to lead to the (IRA) Indian Reorganization Act, approved June 1934. Regrettably, this Act would end the Indian allotment. It would go one step further and even bar the transfer of Indian land or shares in tribal corporation’s other than to the tribe itself. One of the unique features of the Act was the creation of a revolving credit fund from which the secretary could make loans to tribally chartered corporation for economic development