Henry L. Dawes
Encyclopedia
Henry Laurens Dawes was a Republican
United States Senator and United States Representative, notable for the Dawes Act
.
. After graduating from Yale University
in 1839, he taught at Greenfield, Massachusetts
, and also edited The Greenfield Gazette. In 1842, he was admitted to the bar and began the practice of law at North Adams
, where for a time he edited The Transcript. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
in 1848-1849 and in 1852, in the state Senate in 1850, and in the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853
.
From 1853 to 1857, he was United States district attorney for the western district of Massachusetts; and from 1857 to 1875, he was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives
. During this time, in 1868, he received 2,000 shares of stock in the Crédit Mobilier of America
railroad construction company from Congressman Oakes Ames, as part of the Union Pacific railway's influence-buying efforts.
In late 1871 and early 1872, Dawes became an ardent supporter of the creation of Yellowstone National Park
. In March 1871, he supported federal financing for Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden
's fifth geological survey of the territories
which became a driving force in the creation of the park. Dawes' son, Chester Dawes was a member of the survey team, and Annie, the first boat on Yellowstone Lake was purportedly named after his daughter, Anna Dawes. When the Act of Dedication bill came before congress, Dawes was one of its most active supporters.
In 1875, succeeded Charles Sumner
as U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, serving until 1893.
During this long period of legislative activity, he served in the House on the committees on elections, ways and means, and appropriations, took a prominent part in the anti-slavery and Reconstruction measures during and after the Civil War
, in tariff legislation, and in the establishment of a fish commission and the inauguration of daily weather reports.
In the Senate, he was chairman of the committee on Indian affairs, where he concentrated on the enactment of laws that he believed were for the benefit of the Indians.
Dawes most prominent achievement in Congress was the passage in 1887 of the General Allotment Act of 1887 (Dawes Act
), ch. 119, 24 Stat. 388, et seq., which authorized the President of the United States
to survey Indian tribal land and divide the area into allotments for the individual Indian. It was enacted February 8, 1887, and named for Dawes, its sponsor. The Act was amended in 1891 and again in 1906, by the Burke Act
.
The Dawes Commission
, set up under an Indian Office appropriation bill in 1893, was created, not to administer the Act, but to attempt to persuade the tribes excluded under the Act to agree to the allotment plan. It was this commission that registered the members of the Five Civilized Tribes
and many Indian names appear on the rolls
. The Curtis Act of 1898
abolished tribal jurisdiction of these tribes' land.
On leaving the Senate, in 1893, he became chairman of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes (the Dawes Commission) and served in this capacity for ten years, negotiating with the tribes for the extinction of the communal title to their land and for the dissolution of the tribal governments, with the object of making the tribes a constituent part of the United States. Native Americans lost about 90 million acres (360,000 km²) of treaty land, or about two-thirds of the 1887 land base over the life of the Dawes Act
. About 90,000 Indians were made landless. The Act forced Native people onto small tracts of land distant from their kin relations. The allotment policy depleted the land base, ending hunting as a means of subsistence. A Calvin Coolidge
Administration study, completed in 1928, found that the Dawes Act
had been used to illegally deprive Native Americans of their land rights.
Henry Dawes died in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
, in the year 1903.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
United States Senator and United States Representative, notable for the Dawes Act
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act, adopted by Congress in 1887, authorized the President of the United States to survey Indian tribal land and divide the land into allotments for individual Indians. The Act was named for its sponsor, Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts. The Dawes Act was amended in 1891 and again...
.
Biography
Henry Dawes was born in Cummington, MassachusettsCummington, Massachusetts
Cummington is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 978 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
. After graduating from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1839, he taught at Greenfield, Massachusetts
Greenfield, Massachusetts
Greenfield is a city in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 17,456 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Franklin County. Greenfield is home to Greenfield Community College, the Pioneer Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Franklin County Fair...
, and also edited The Greenfield Gazette. In 1842, he was admitted to the bar and began the practice of law at North Adams
North Adams, Massachusetts
North Adams is a city in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,708 as of the 2010 census, making it the least populous city in the state...
, where for a time he edited The Transcript. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
in 1848-1849 and in 1852, in the state Senate in 1850, and in the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853
Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853
The Massachusetts Constitutional Convention of 1853 met in order to consider changes to the Massachusetts Constitution. This was the third such convention in Massachusetts history; the first, in 1779–80, had drawn up the original document, while the second, in 1820-21, submitted the first nine...
.
From 1853 to 1857, he was United States district attorney for the western district of Massachusetts; and from 1857 to 1875, he was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
. During this time, in 1868, he received 2,000 shares of stock in the Crédit Mobilier of America
Crédit Mobilier of America scandal
The Crédit Mobilier scandal of 1872 involved the Union Pacific Railroad and the Crédit Mobilier of America construction company in the building of the First Transcontinental Railroad. The distribution of Crédit Mobilier shares of stock by Congressman Oakes Ames along with cash bribes to...
railroad construction company from Congressman Oakes Ames, as part of the Union Pacific railway's influence-buying efforts.
In late 1871 and early 1872, Dawes became an ardent supporter of the creation of Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park, established by the U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant on March 1, 1872, is a national park located primarily in the U.S. state of Wyoming, although it also extends into Montana and Idaho...
. In March 1871, he supported federal financing for Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden
Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden
Dr. Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden was an American geologist noted for his pioneering surveying expeditions of the Rocky Mountains in the late 19th century. He was also a physician who served with the Union Army during the Civil War.-Early life:Ferdinand Hayden was born in Westfield, Massachusetts...
's fifth geological survey of the territories
Hayden Geological Survey of 1871
The Hayden Geological Survey of 1871 explored the region of northwestern Wyoming that later became Yellowstone National Park in 1872. It was led by geologist Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden...
which became a driving force in the creation of the park. Dawes' son, Chester Dawes was a member of the survey team, and Annie, the first boat on Yellowstone Lake was purportedly named after his daughter, Anna Dawes. When the Act of Dedication bill came before congress, Dawes was one of its most active supporters.
In 1875, succeeded Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner was an American politician and senator from Massachusetts. An academic lawyer and a powerful orator, Sumner was the leader of the antislavery forces in Massachusetts and a leader of the Radical Republicans in the United States Senate during the American Civil War and Reconstruction,...
as U.S. Senator from Massachusetts, serving until 1893.
During this long period of legislative activity, he served in the House on the committees on elections, ways and means, and appropriations, took a prominent part in the anti-slavery and Reconstruction measures during and after the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
, in tariff legislation, and in the establishment of a fish commission and the inauguration of daily weather reports.
In the Senate, he was chairman of the committee on Indian affairs, where he concentrated on the enactment of laws that he believed were for the benefit of the Indians.
Dawes most prominent achievement in Congress was the passage in 1887 of the General Allotment Act of 1887 (Dawes Act
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act, adopted by Congress in 1887, authorized the President of the United States to survey Indian tribal land and divide the land into allotments for individual Indians. The Act was named for its sponsor, Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts. The Dawes Act was amended in 1891 and again...
), ch. 119, 24 Stat. 388, et seq., which authorized the President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
to survey Indian tribal land and divide the area into allotments for the individual Indian. It was enacted February 8, 1887, and named for Dawes, its sponsor. The Act was amended in 1891 and again in 1906, by the Burke Act
Burke Act
Burke Act , was designed to correct certain defects in the General Allotment Act also known as the Dawes Act of 1887, under which the land in the Indian reservations was to be broken up and distributed in severalty to the individual Indians...
.
The Dawes Commission
Dawes Commission
The American Dawes Commission, named for its first chairman Henry L. Dawes, was authorized under a rider to an Indian Office appropriation bill, March 3, 1893...
, set up under an Indian Office appropriation bill in 1893, was created, not to administer the Act, but to attempt to persuade the tribes excluded under the Act to agree to the allotment plan. It was this commission that registered the members of the Five Civilized Tribes
Five Civilized Tribes
The Five Civilized Tribes were the five Native American nations—the Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole—that were considered civilized by Anglo-European settlers during the colonial and early federal period because they adopted many of the colonists' customs and had generally good...
and many Indian names appear on the rolls
Dawes Rolls
The Dawes Rolls were created by the Dawes Commission. The Commission, authorized by United States Congress in 1893, was required to negotiate with the Five Civilized Tribes to convince them to agree to an allotment plan and dissolution of the reservation system...
. The Curtis Act of 1898
Curtis Act of 1898
The Curtis Act of 1898 was an amendment to the United States Dawes Act that brought about the allotment process of lands of the Five Civilized Tribes of Indian Territory: the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee, Cherokee, and Seminole...
abolished tribal jurisdiction of these tribes' land.
On leaving the Senate, in 1893, he became chairman of the Commission to the Five Civilized Tribes (the Dawes Commission) and served in this capacity for ten years, negotiating with the tribes for the extinction of the communal title to their land and for the dissolution of the tribal governments, with the object of making the tribes a constituent part of the United States. Native Americans lost about 90 million acres (360,000 km²) of treaty land, or about two-thirds of the 1887 land base over the life of the Dawes Act
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act, adopted by Congress in 1887, authorized the President of the United States to survey Indian tribal land and divide the land into allotments for individual Indians. The Act was named for its sponsor, Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts. The Dawes Act was amended in 1891 and again...
. About 90,000 Indians were made landless. The Act forced Native people onto small tracts of land distant from their kin relations. The allotment policy depleted the land base, ending hunting as a means of subsistence. A Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge
John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the 30th President of the United States . A Republican lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state...
Administration study, completed in 1928, found that the Dawes Act
Dawes Act
The Dawes Act, adopted by Congress in 1887, authorized the President of the United States to survey Indian tribal land and divide the land into allotments for individual Indians. The Act was named for its sponsor, Senator Henry L. Dawes of Massachusetts. The Dawes Act was amended in 1891 and again...
had been used to illegally deprive Native Americans of their land rights.
Henry Dawes died in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
, in the year 1903.