Indian Appropriations Act (1851)

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Indian Appropriations Act is an American law that was passed by the US Congress on February 27, 1851 . The law created a legal framework for the creation of Indian reservations in the United States. The law also made funds available to relocate Indian tribes to the reservations. According to this law, the Indians were not allowed to leave the area of ​​the reservations without a permit. The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) was responsible for the implementation , an authority that was originally under the Ministry of Defense, but later switched to the Ministry of the Interior. The Indian Territory was particularly affected by this law . But the law was also applied in other territories. The law created a framework for bilateral treaties between the tribes (Dependent Domestic Nations) and Congress. These were negotiated by Indian agents of the BIA and submitted to Congress for ratification. Basically, the Indian tribes should cede part of their tribal territory to the United States. You should be able to reserve a defined part of the area for your own needs, hence the word reservation . The Indians should not be allowed to stay in the unreserved areas to prevent conflicts with white settlers. In return, the tribes were assured of money, food security, free health care, homes, equipment, and other materials. Often times these promises were not kept. The law was partially superseded by the Indian Appropriations Act (1871) in 1871 . This law abolished the system of bilateral treaties defined in the 1851 law.

References and comments

  1. ↑ history.com Indian Reservations
  2. ↑ nlm.com 1851: Congress Creates reservations to manage Native peoples
  3. ^ Khan academy The reservation system

See also