What was the intent behind the Dawes Act in terms of land distribution?

The intent behind the Dawes Act was indeed to fragment tribal lands into smaller parcels. Enacted in 1887, the Dawes Act aimed to assimilate Native Americans into American society by allotting individual plots of land to Native American families. Each family was given a specific amount of land—typically 160 acres—while the remaining tribal lands were sold to white settlers and speculators. This approach not only sought to individualize land ownership but also to dismantle the communal nature of Native American life and culture. The underlying belief was that encouraging individual land ownership would lead to the incorporation of Native Americans into mainstream American society, promoting agriculture and self-sufficiency. Over time, this policy led to significant loss of tribal land and further disruption of Indigenous ways of life.