Native Americans in the Gilded Age evidence

Question 1

Evidence supporting political progress in the GA. 3 main points

Answer 1

• The 1887 Dawes Act granted US citizenship to Native Americans who accepted individual land allotments and
  “adopted the habits of civilized life”.
• The 1890 establishment of the Board of Indian Commissioners aimed to oversee Indian affairs and reduce corruption.
• Creation of the first Native American police forces on reservations gave some limited self-governance.

Question 2

Evidence supporting social progress in the GA for NAs. 2 main points

Answer 2

• Establishment of Indian boarding schools like Carlisle Indian Industrial School (1879) was intended to provide
  education, although with problematic assimilation goals.
• The Lake Mohonk Conference of Friends of the Indian began in 1883, bringing together reformers interested in
  improving conditions for Native Americans.

Question 3

Evidence supporting economic progress in the GA for NAs. 2 main points

Answer 3

• Some Native Americans successfully adapted to farming, with about 30,000 engaged in agriculture by 1900.
• Between 1881-1900, irrigation projects on some reservations improved agricultural potential.

Question 4

Evidence AGAINST political progress in the GA for NAs. 3 main points

Answer 4

• The Dawes Act of 1887 dissolved many tribal governments and communal landholdings.
• Native American lands decreased from approximately 155 million acres in 1881 to only 77 million acres by 1900—a staggering 50% reduction in less than 20 years.
• The 1903 Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock Supreme Court ruling established that Congress could unilaterally abrogate treaty provisions with Native American tribes.

Question 5

Evidence AGAINST social progress for NAs in the GA. 3 main points

Answer 5

• Indian boarding schools forcibly removed children from their families and communities, prohibited native languages and cultural practices, and had mortality rates as high as 25% in some schools due to disease.
• In 1890, the Wounded Knee Massacre resulted in the deaths of approximately 250-300 Lakota people, including women and children.
• Native American population declined to its lowest point in history, reaching approximately 250,000 by 1900—down from an estimated 5-10 million pre-contact.

Question 6

Evidence AGAINST economic progress in the GA for NAs. 3 main points

Answer 6

• The Dawes Act resulted in the loss of approximately 90 million acres of Native American land to white settlers and corporations, as “surplus” lands were sold off.
• By 1900, about 50% of allotted Native Americans had lost their lands due to tax foreclosures, fraud, or
  economic necessity.
• Poverty rates on reservations reached over 80% in many communities by the end of the Gilded Age.