Explain two consequences of the Dawes Act 1887 (8 marks) - Edexcel Paper 2 American West Q1

One consequence of the Dawes Act was that the Plains Indians lost half of the land they had had in 1887 to the white settlers. This was the result of the part of the Act that stated that any land not reserved for the Plains Indians was to be sold to non-Indian families. As a consequence of the land given being of poor quality many Plains Indians sold their land on which meant that they lost even more. Therefore a consequence of the Dawes Act was an irreversible loss of land for the Plains Indians. 
Another consequence of the Dawes Act was the continued destruction of the Plains Indian way of life. Indians were given land that was impossible to farm on and lost huge amounts of land that had previously been used for hunting. This led to a greater reliance of the US government for food supplies and a turn away from the traditional methods of survival such as buffalo hunting. Therefore, a consequence of the Dawes Act of 1887 was the complete destruction of the traditional way of life for the Plains Indians.