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The American West (c1835-c1895): Indian Appropriations Act of 1871

Level:
GCSE
Board:
Edexcel

Last updated 15 Jul 2024

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The Indian Appropriations Act was a continuation of President Grant’s Peace Policy. This act stipulated that the US government would stop treating Plains Indians as ‘an independent nation, tribe, or power’.

Instead, the act stated that Plains Indians should be treated as wards of the state. A ward is a child who is put under the care of an adult guardian. Therefore, this act suggested that Plains Indians needed to be cared for as if they were children.

The Indian Appropriations Act made it easier for the government to take away Plains Indian land, and meant Plains Indians would no longer be able to form treaties with the US government.

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