A Level History - America - Practice Exam

What act divided up reservations for Native Americans allowing them to become American citizens?

1. Dawes Act

2. Allotment Act

3. Indian Reorganization Act

4. Homestead Act

The correct answer is: Allotment Act

The Dawes Act is the correct choice as it specifically aimed to assimilate Native Americans into American society by dividing up communal lands held by tribes into individual allotments. The goal was to encourage Native Americans to adopt farming lifestyles and to become more integrated into mainstream American culture. Under the Dawes Act, individual Native American families were allotted specific parcels of land, and the remaining reservation land was opened up for sale to non-Native settlers. This process significantly reduced the amount of land held by Native tribes and was a crucial step in the government's broader policy of assimilation. In contrast, while the Allotment Act also refers to these practices and can sometimes be associated with these policies, the term typically used in historical contexts relates more directly to the Dawes Act. The Indian Reorganization Act, implemented in 1934, reversed some of the policies of the Dawes Act by promoting tribal sovereignty and restoring some land to tribal groups. The Homestead Act was aimed at promoting westward expansion by providing land to settlers but did not focus specifically on Native American reservations or citizenship.