What was the purpose of the Dawes Severalty Act of 1887?

The Dawes Severalty Act of 1887 was primarily aimed at assimilating Native Americans into American society. The act sought to break up tribal lands, which were collectively owned, and allot individual parcels to Native American families and individuals. This approach was rooted in the belief that by providing land ownership to individuals, Native Americans would adopt farming practices and minimize their traditional communal lifestyles, thereby integrating them into Euro-American culture.

The underlying goal was to promote individualism, produce self-sufficient farmers, and ultimately diminish the cultural identity and communal structures of Native American tribes. By doing so, the U.S. government intended to absorb Native Americans into mainstream society, effectively erasing distinctive tribal identities in favor of a unified American identity.

The other choices reflect outcomes or concepts not aligned with the intent of the Dawes Act. For instance, enforcing tribal sovereignty contradicts the act's purpose of dismantling tribal structures. Establishing more reservations is inaccurate, as the act aimed to reduce the size of reservations by redistributing land to individuals. Promoting armed conflict was not a goal of the Dawes Act; rather, the act was part of a broader strategy of assimilation that often led to significant resistance and conflict but did not explicitly aim to instigate armed confront