In 1877, Congress passed an act that allowed the president to inspect American Indian lands and divide it up to grant to certain individuals. The Indians that lived separately from the tribe would be allowed United States citizenship that was legalized through the government. This act was meant to have a "positive" impact on the Native Americans. Americans wanted to try to lift Native Americans out of poverty and tried to get them to assimilate into American white culture. This act also allowed the United States government the right to take Native American lands that they thought were "excess" and sell them for a profit.
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