What guarantees did the government make to the Native American tribes?

What guarantees did the government make to the Native American tribes?

Although specific treaty elements varied, treaties commonly included such provisions as a guarantee of peace; a cession of certain delineated lands; a promise by the United States to create a reservation for the Indians under federal protection; a guarantee of Indian hunting and fishing rights; and a statement that the …

How did the US government control Indian life on the reservations?

In 1887, the Dawes Act was signed by President Grover Cleveland allowing the government to divide reservations into small plots of land for individual Indians. It decreased the land owned by Indians by more than half and opened even more land to white settlers and railroads.

How does the Constitution treat Indian tribes?

The US Constitution recognizes that tribal nations are sovereign governments, just like Canada or California. Hundreds of treaties, along with the Supreme Court, the President, and Congress, have repeatedly affirmed that tribal nations retain their inherent powers of self-government.

What power did the national government use to make treaties with Native American nations?

Later cases established that the power to make treaties with the Indian tribes was coextensive with the power to make treaties with foreign nations, 427 that the states were incompetent to interfere with rights created by such treaties, 428 that as long as the United States recognized the national character of a tribe.

What is the relationship between tribes and the US government?

Tribes possess all powers of self-government except those relinquished under treaty with the United States, those that Congress has expressly extinguished, and those that federal courts have ruled are subject to existing federal law or are inconsistent with overriding national policies.

How is life on an Indian reservation?

Quality of Life on Reservations is Extremely Poor. Waiting lists for spaces are years long, and such a wait doesn’t guarantee adequate housing. Often, three generations of a single family live in one cramped dwelling space. The packed households frequently take in tribe members in need as well.

How do tribal governments work?

Tribal governments can impose taxes, pass laws and create a court system. They provide many programs and services to the people they govern such as education, emergency services, social programs and land management. They also maintain infrastructure such as roads and public works facilities.