Indian Removal Act

• The story of U.S. reservations really begins with the Indian Removal Act of 1830. The act removed most of the Native American population east of the Mississippi River to new lands west of the Mississippi to make new lands available for European settlers. The tribes removed included the Seneca, the Sauk and the Cherokee. The Cherokee journey to their new lands is called the Trail of Tears. During the 800 mile walk to their new lands, more than 4,000 died. Other tribes, such as the Chippewa, were forced to give up large amounts of the territory they controlled.
  
  

Fort Laramie

• As more settlers came and moved west of the Mississippi, the precedent of the Indian Act was used to remove tribes or diminish their land claims. This included the 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie, which affected several Cheyenne, Crow, Sioux and several other tribes tribes, that required them to accept a limited, bounded territory and allowed the government to build forts and roads on Indian land. The Treaty ultimately did not last long as the attractive land and the presence of gold and other minerals on the lands granted persuaded the U.S. Government to open up the lands to settlers.
  
  

Post Civil War

• The Indian Wars between 1861 and 1891 involved more than 1,000 battles and skirmishes between Native Americans and the U.S. government. This led to renewed political conflicts in white America between reformers, who wanted to assimilate Native Americans, and industrialists, who simply wanted their land. In 1871 official government policy shifted. The government decided that it would no longer recognize Native American tribes as independent nations but as wards of the state.
  
  

General Allotment Act

• In 1887 Congress passed the General Allotment Act, also known as the Dawes Act, which was designed to "civilize" Native Americans by teaching them to become farmers. It divided native lands into individual lots by family rather than collectively owned reservations and allowed settlers to purchase that land from them. The results were horrible for Native Americans as those who were unable to become immediately successful as farmers were forced to sell their lands.
  
  

Indian Reorganization Act

• In 1934, with only 250,000 Native Americans left in the United States, Congress passed the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, which restored local self-government to Native tribes, reversing the provisions of the Dawes Act. This status was reasserted by Ronald Reagan in 1983. Conflicts between Native American tribes and the federal government over issues such as resource development and gambling are ongoing as of the time of publication.