Indian Appropriations Act (1885)

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Oklahoma and Indian Territories
Oklahoma Land Run (contemporary photography, 1889)

Indian Appropriations Act refers to a US law that was passed by the US Congress on March 3, 1885 . The law allowed the sale of areas in Indian territory that were not explicitly assigned to any Indian tribe by Indian tribes and individual Indians to the United States of America. The law also cleared sales negotiations for the assignment of uninhabited areas belonging to the Creek , Seminoles, and Cherokee . This law made the Oklahoma Land Run , the creation of Oklahoma City and the Oklahoma Territory, possible in 1889 . After negotiations with the tribes, the sales negotiations were approved by the US Congress with the Indian Appropriations Act (1889) . Another important part of the law was the Mayor Crimes Act , which is dealt with in the last section of the law. This section states that serious crimes such as murder and arson in tribal areas must be tried in federal, rather than tribal, courts. The law expanded the General Crimes Act of 1817. Crimes between members of Indian tribes now also had to be tried in federal courts. Before 1885, only the tribal courts and tribal governments were responsible for this. The Mayor Crimes Act was passed due to the murder of Spotted Tail by Crow Dog on the Rosebud Reservation . The law continues to have serious ramifications to this day, especially in 2020. See also the US Supreme Court decision, Sharp v. Murphy on July 9, 2020.

References and comments

  1. ^ New World Encyclopedia Indian reservation
  2. ^ Zachary Tyler Johnson, Cedarville University, Reservation About Reservations, A Political History of Congress Regulation of the Native Tribes of Oklahoma
  3. ↑ quimbee.com Major Crimes Act of 1885
  4. ^ Oyez United States v. Kagama In response to the Court's ruling in Ex Parte Crowe Dog (1883), Congress passed the Major Crimes Act as part of the Indian Appropriations Act of 1885, which granted the federal courts jurisdiction over certain major crimes committed by one Native American against another.

See also