Question

Which one of the following, if true, would most strengthen the author's argument regarding the true motivation for the passage of the Dawes Act? (A) The legislators who voted in favor of the Dawes Act owned land adjacent to Native American reservations. (B) The majority of Native Americans who were granted fee patents did not sell their land back to their tribes. (C) Native Americans managed to preserve their traditional culture even when they were geographically dispersed. (D) The legislators who voted in favor of the Dawes Act were heavily influenced by BIA bureaucrats. (E) Non-Native Americans who purchased the majority of Native American lands consolidated them into larger farm holdings.

Short answer

Option (E) strengthens the author's argument by showing non-Native Americans gained financially.

Step-by-step solution

Understand the Argument

The author's argument suggests that the true motivation for passing the Dawes Act was not to benefit Native Americans, but possibly to benefit other groups, such as land speculators or legislators. We need to identify additional evidence that supports this claim.

Analyze Each Option for Support of the Argument

Let's examine each option: - (A) If legislators owned land next to reservations, they might benefit from increased land value following the act. - (B) This doesn't appear to affect the intended benefit or provide ulterior motivations for the act's passage. - (C) Preservation of culture doesn't directly relate to the motivation behind the act. - (D) Influence by BIA bureaucrats may indicate an ulterior motive, especially if these bureaucrats benefited from the act. - (E) If non-Native Americans consolidated land holdings, it suggests the real beneficiaries of the act were not Native Americans but those who acquired and expanded these lands.

Evaluate the Best Strengthening Point

Options (A), (D), and (E) offer potential motives beyond the act's stated intention. However, option (E) directly indicates that the Dawes Act allowed non-Native Americans to acquire land, consolidating it into larger farms, thereby benefitting them financially. This aligns with the author's suggestion of ulterior economic motivations more clearly than the other options.

Select the Correct Answer

Based on the evaluation, option (E) best supports the author's argument that the Dawes Act's true motivation was to economically benefit non-Native Americans by enabling the consolidation of Native lands into larger holdings, contrary to benefitting Native Americans.

Key concepts

Dawes Act analysis

The Dawes Act, enacted in 1887, was a pivotal law in the history of Native American policy in the United States. The primary intention of the Dawes Act was to assimilate Native Americans into American society by allotting individual plots of land to them instead of communal tribal holdings. However, the effects and the motivations behind this Act are much debated. Many historians argue that it was driven more by the desires of landholders and speculators to gain access to tribal territories than to benefit Native Americans themselves.

In analyzing the Dawes Act, one must consider both the short and long-term impacts it had on Native communities. Initially, Native Americans were given parcels of land that often were not sufficient for sustaining their traditional agricultural practices, which disrupted their cultural lifestyles. Over time, the Act resulted in the loss of tribal land ownership as many Native Americans ended up selling their lands to non-Natives due to economic pressures.

The analysis reveals that the Dawes Act inadvertently—or perhaps intentionally—facilitated the transfer of indigenous land to non-Native hands, consolidating lands for larger economic gains of outside parties.

strengthening arguments

In the realm of critical reasoning, strengthening arguments involves providing additional information or evidence that bolsters the validity of a particular claim. With the context of the Dawes Act, the author's assertion is that the Act's real motive was the economic benefit of non-Native Americans rather than the purported support for Native American cultural adaptation.

Options provided like the ownership of bordering lands by legislators or outside influence from bureaucrats can serve to strengthen this argument. However, the most compelling evidence, in this case, is the option that shows a clear economic advantage for non-Native individuals or entities, such as the consolidation of lands into larger farm holdings by non-Natives indicated in option (E). This directly ties back to the argument that the actual beneficiaries of the Dawes Act were not the Native Americans themselves.

When evaluating how to strengthen an argument, consider the clarity and directness with which the supporting evidence ties back to the main claim. The more directly and undeniably the evidence supports the claim, the stronger the argument becomes.

legal reasoning skills

Developing keen legal reasoning skills is crucial when interpreting laws and their implications, such as with the Dawes Act. Legal reasoning involves analyzing the legislative context, recognizing the motivations behind a law, and evaluating its outcomes to determine if they align with the intended purpose. This skill requires a logical and methodical approach to dissecting legal texts and understanding policymakers' potential biases and hidden agendas.

In the case of the Dawes Act, legal reasoning involves questioning who truly benefited from the Act and why. Analyzing historical accounts, one might notice conflicting interests between publicly stated motives and the real legislative outcomes. Practicing legal reasoning means looking beyond the surface to assess who gains from such legislation and whether the results align with the purported goals.

The ability to use legal reasoning allows individuals to critically assess arguments like those around the Dawes Act, providing a more comprehensive understanding of law and its societal impacts.

author's argument evaluation

When evaluating the author's argument, especially regarding complex issues like the Dawes Act, it's important to critically assess the claims and underlying assumptions. The author's argument here posits that the Dawes Act had ulterior motives, namely economic gains for non-Native individuals rather than cultural assimilation assistance for Native Americans.

To evaluate this argument, consider the evidence presented and determine its relevance and adequacy in supporting the claim. Does the evidence show a consistent pattern of benefiting non-Natives? Are there other interpretations or counterarguments that need to be addressed?

Effective argument evaluation involves scrutinizing every piece of evidence critically, assessing its source, and ensuring it directly supports the main argument. Additionally, examining the broader context of the law and its historical implications can provide deeper insight into whether the author's stance holds validity against documented historical occurrences.