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The Dawes Act of February 8th, 1887, also known as the General Allotment Act or the Dawes Severalty Act, was named after its lead sponsor, Senator Henry L. Dawes. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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The act was sold to the public as a way to assimilate native people into mainstream American society by dividing tribal lands into individual allotments and granting them to individual members of the tribe, converting them into independent farmers and eventually opening a path towards citizenship. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
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Additionally, and the underlying intent of the act, it would also open up a large amount of land for westward expansion and settlement by non-native Americans.
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