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Events
Jan. 9 | Call for papers: Identities and Technocultures
A 2-day conference about American culture and technologies that examines how new technologies dominate and define Americaness in the US and abroad. Co-sponsored by the University of Iowa Center for Ethnic Studies and the Arts (CESA) and the Mid-America American Studies Association (MAASA).
Resources: Abstracts of American Studies Dissertations
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Fleming, Walter C. "American Indians and Federal Land Leasing Policies, 1884-1917: 'That Beauty of Cultivation and Thrift Which Always Grows Out of American Energy'," American Studies Program, University of Kansas, January 1996.
In 1887, the United States attempted to eliminate American Indian culture by enacting a law called the General Allotment Act, or Dawes Act. This study explores the evolution of leasing policy during the Dawes era, specifically from 1884 through America’s entry into World War I. It examines attitudes of Commissioners of Indian Affairs and Indian agents that shaped the establishment and modification of leasing policies. This researcher suggests that leasing provided another mechanism by which non-Indians gained access to Indian land. Among other conclusions reached is that non-Indian lessors benefited more from leasing regulations than did Indian allottees, thereby calling into question the legitimacy of the federal government’s trust relationship with Indian tribes.
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