Beschreibung:

Assembled group of printed public documents, mostly Senate, but some House printings also. 42nd - 54th Congresses (1871-1897), plus printed copies of treaties. Sewn-bound with cloth spine, paper-covered boards. Front board with ink: "No. 18932. Court of Claims. The Choctaw Nation and the Chickasaw Nation vs The United States and the Wichita and affiliated Bands of Indians. Public documents bearing upon case. J.M. Vale. For the Defendant Indians. Nov. 15, 1897." Ffep with "Please Return this volume of Public Documents to J.M. Vale / Atlantic Building / Washington, D.C., Nov. 15 1897." First 16 pages are blank lined sheets on which an alphabetical index has been written. Each page numbered sequentially in red to page 657; then on index pages there are page numbers with "Red Page" at top of column. (Letters of the alphabet also red on index pages.) In 1887 the Dawes Commission was formed to realize the goals of the Dawes Severalty Act, which was enacted with the thought that Indians would be better able to integrate into mainstream society if they gave up tribal governments and communal ownership of lands. The Chickasaw and Choctaw had been promised their land for as long as the grass grows and the water runs in the 1830 treaty that moved most of them to Oklahoma. They interpreted this to mean that Dawes did not apply to them. They began negotiating with the Commission in 1893 (probably the reference in the case number). In 1897, they finally agreed to abandon their tribal government and communal lands, the first to do so; most other tribes soon followed. This opened the door for white settlement in Indian Territory. Condition: Shows wear. Ink on front board partially worn off.