The Dawes Act, formally known as the General Allotment Act, was signed into law as a critical piece of legislation impacting Native American policy. The primary goal of the Dawes Act was to encourage the assimilation of Native Americans into Euro-American society by allotting individual parcels of land to members of tribes. Each head of a Native American family was eligible to receive up to 160 acres of farmland, while single individuals could receive smaller allotments. The remainder of the tribal land was to be sold to non-Native settlers.

The act emerged from a long tradition of U.S. government policies aimed at controlling and assimilating Native populations. Proponents believed that individual land ownership would inspire Native Americans to adopt farming practices that were more aligned with American agricultural practices. However, the reality was that the policy often led to the loss of tribal lands, as allotments were frequently sold due to financial pressure or legal manipulations. The Dawes Act also contained provisions for land surveillance and restricted Native American rights to own land, fundamentally altering their relationship with the land.

Implementation of the Dawes Act was uneven, and many Native Americans resisted these divisions, resulting in significant cultural and social disruption. Many tribes lost substantial portions of their land, and in some cases, individuals received land that was unsuitable for farming.

Overall, the Dawes Act represents a turning point in federal Indian policy characterized by the transition from treaties and reservation systems to focused land allotment and assimilation efforts. By the end of the Dawes Act period, estimates suggest that Native American landholdings diminished from 138 million acres to around 48 million acres, dramatically impacting Native communities across the United States.