The Pros And Cons Of The Allotment Act

By the year 1920 many Indians have became U.S. citizens, though they did not enjoy the prosperity that other Americans enjoyed during this period. By 1926 the Allotment Act was recognized as a failure and the U.S. Department of Interior, commissioned a survey to document the failure of federal Indian policy (447). Eventually, Congress passed the Indian Reorganization Act, which effectively ended the policy of further allotment and alienation of the Indian land. Even though Congress passed the IRA in 1934 and President Roosevelt signed the law the same year, none of the appropriations approved by this law became available until a year later in 1935 (514). The IRA was created with a noble intention of increasing the responsibility and self-governance of the Indians. However, the U.S. government did not fully recognize the Indian tribal rights and many decisions were still subject to approval, ultimately by the U.S. Secretary of Interior while still being under the supervision of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). This process often limited the measure of self government and produced “unrepresentative minority tribal administration” (511). It also shows how this law was just a continuation of the oppression attitude by the federal government towards the Indians. Despite the IRA being less successful in achieving self-government for the Indians, it brought a significant change in restoration of lands to tribal ownership. And for Native Americans the “land” means everything. This law has done one thing unusual to the Indians that benefit them by securing the right to their land, which is a significant move by the federal government. There was no single law passed by the federal government that actually helped the Indians achieve ownership or independence of their land before the IRA. Under this Act the Indians regained several million acres of land that was lost during the Allotment Act period. The also advanced in areas of education, cultural preservation and control their own affairs. According to the document titled “An “Indian Renaissance” from the Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs” (1935) by John Collier, despite its shortcomings, the IRA was a radical departure of the U.S. …show more content…
federal government Indian policies (513-516). The IRA, also called the Wheeler-Howard Act (named after the two senators who sponsored the act), was aimed at decreasing the role of the federal government in Indians affair and encourage their self-governance. It prohibits the sale of Indian lands and allotment, except to the tribes. It restored the “surplus lands”, which were being sold to whites as per the Dawes Act. The IRA also promoted economic development in the community by providing them with a revolving loan fund. That is why the IRA still remains the basis for federal legislation concerning the Indian affairs. On all accounts of history Native American have fought to preserve their Sacred lands. This problem has persisted up to the twenty first century. Many energy companies still want to exploit reservation resources. While some argue that the land is sacred and should not be scared by drilling and mining operations; others assert that the tribes might lose the traditions and culture in the face of poverty unless they make economic progress (642). This pressure forced some tribes to become involved without being aware