LAD #25: Dawes Severalty Act

The Dawes Act was issued in 1887 and it ultimately divided Native American land into properties. The Native Americans were given different land with arbitrary boundaries placed by the government. The head of each family received one quarter of this land, but the land was still technically under governmental supervision. Those who did not receive land had the right to relocate where they pleased. The act gave Native Americans equal rights under the law, but it eventually became invalid.