The Dawes Act was an effort to make assimilation the government's official policy. The aim was to "Americanize" the Native Americans , cultivating in them the desire to own property and to farm.
white settlers
Dividing the land for individuals to own
land belonged to everyone
Lost their traditional cultural practices
It was populated with French Canadians, Native Americans and Mexicans.
They were used to working together in communities instead of as individual families.