Advanced Placement US History (AP US History) Practice Exam

The Dawes Act of 1887 aimed to improve relations with Native Americans through a policy of assimilation into American society. It sought to achieve this by allotting individual parcels of land to Native American families, thereby urging them to adopt agricultural practices prevalent among European Americans. This approach was founded on the belief that by breaking up tribal lands and promoting individual land ownership, Native Americans would abandon their traditional communal lifestyles and integrate into mainstream American culture.

The Dawes Act also aimed to promote education and the adoption of Western customs, further facilitating the assimilation process. Although its intentions included bettering relations and providing opportunities for Native Americans, the act ultimately resulted in significant loss of their lands and undermined tribal sovereignty, as much of the land that was not allotted was sold to non-Native settlers.

Other options, while significant in American history, did not focus on assimilation. The Homestead Act encouraged westward expansion and settlement by offering land to settlers but did not specifically target Native Americans for assimilation. The Indian Removal Act forcibly relocated Native Americans from their ancestral lands without any consideration for assimilation. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War and transferred territory to the U.S. but did not specifically aim to assimilate Native Americans. Thus, the Dawes Act is