The Dawes Act of 1887 was introduced under the guise of aiding Native American tribes in the assimilation process to properly become integrated into the American society. It was seen as a way to help the Indians overcome the difficulties they were facing and to take advantage of the modern amenities available to them. However, the Dawes Act was anything but helpful to Native Americans.

The Dawes Act called for the allotment of land to individual Native Americans. This meant that the tribe’s communal land was to be broken up and each individual was to be given an allotment of the land. This was a direct violation of the treaty the tribes made with the United States government, as it was taking away their autonomy. In addition, the allotted land was of poor quality and most Native Americans were unable to survive on the land due to the lack of resources.

The Act also required Native Americans to adopt the customs and practices of white American society. This meant they had to give up their native language, clothing, religious practices, and culture. This was a direct effort to strip Native Americans of their identity and of their culture.

The Dawes Act put Native Americans in a severe economic disadvantage. The allotted land was of poor quality and they were not able to benefit from it. Furthermore, the Act also allowed the United States government to sell some of the Native Americans’ land to whites, resulting in the further impoverishment of the tribes.

The intention of the Dawes Act was to assimilate Native Americans into the American society, but this was done at the expense of the Native Americans. The Act caused economic hardship, loss of autonomy, and the erosion of Native American culture. The Act did all of these things, except bring Native Americans into the American society.