--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Congress passed the 1887 General…" description: "\"Congress passed the 1887 General Allotment Act. And that act ended up dispossessing tribes of 90 million acres. That history of dispossession was also ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/robert-a-williams-jr-26038_assimilation_congress-passed-the-1887-general-allotme_2029627.jpg" --- # Congress passed the 1887 General Allotment Act. And that… ![“Congress passed the 1887 General Allotment Act. And that act ended up dispossessing tribes of 90 million acres. That history of dispossession was also accompanied by a history of forced assimilation whether it was in residential schools, whether it was in dismantling traditional tribal governance…” quote by Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/robert-a-williams-jr-26038_assimilation_congress-passed-the-1887-general-allotme_2029627.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/robert-a-williams-jr-26038_assimilation_congress-passed-the-1887-general-allotme_2029627.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/robert-a-williams-jr-26038_assimilation_congress-passed-the-1887-general-allotme_2029627.jpg) > “Congress passed the 1887 General Allotment Act. And that act ended up dispossessing tribes of 90 million acres. That history of dispossession was also accompanied by a history of forced assimilation whether it was in residential schools, whether it was in dismantling traditional tribal governance structures. And the justifications for that is that you're not as good as us. Our systems are better. Our modes of education. Our ways of owning land, our ways of working have been continually cited to Indians as the reason for these government policies.” [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The 1887 Act stripped millions of acres from Indigenous peoples, accompanied by forced assimilation and claims of cultural superiority. **In simple terms:** Policy dispossessed tribes and forced assimilation. Key Takeaway Recognize and address historical injustices. Themes history colonialism rights Mood somber reflective Type historical activist When to use this quote - legal reforms - educational curricula - community healing - advocacy campaigns Key Concepts land dispossession cultural genocide systemic racism policy critique Questions to Reflect On - What steps can societies take to rectify past land theft? - How can Indigenous voices reshape policy? A Different Perspective Overcoming entrenched narratives of superiority is difficult. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Allotment Act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/allotment-act-3720261/) [Assimilation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assimilation/) [Dispossessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dispossessing-3720262/) [Dispossessing Tribes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dispossessing-tribes-3720260/) [Forced Assimilation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forced-assimilation-3720263/) [History Dispossession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history-dispossession-3705748/) [Indians](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indians/) [Justification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justification/) [Policy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/policy/) [Politics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/politics/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) ## Related quotes > [African-Americans were dispossessed of the land by being brought over here in slave ships, whereas Indians were on the land and fought literally wars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/african-americans-were-dispossessed-of-the-land-by-being-brought-over/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) > [Although the history of dispossession and exile for Jews is very different from the history of dispossession and exile for Palestinians, they both have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-butler/although-the-history-of-dispossession-and-exile-for-jews-is-very/) [Judith Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-butler/) > [Finally it should be the earnest wish and paramount aim of the military administration to win the confidence, respect, and affection of the inhabitants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mckinley/finally-it-should-be-the-earnest-wish-and-paramount-aim-of-the/) [William McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mckinley/) > [“If you aren't destroying your enemies, it's because you have been conquered and assimilated, you do not even have an idea of who your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/if-you-aren-t-destroying-your-enemies-it-s-because-you-have-been/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [Knowledge is a free good. The biggest cost in its transmission is not in the production or distribution of knowledge, but in its assimilation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-arrow/knowledge-is-a-free-good-the-biggest-cost-in-its-transmission-is-not/) [Kenneth Arrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-arrow/) > [“Does assimilation mean that they never came up against naked prejudice? Does it mean that you understood where the limits of your social world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/does-assimilation-mean-that-they-never-came-up-against-naked/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [Intellectual life requires for its expansion and manifestation the influences and assimilation of the interests and affections of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-addams/intellectual-life-requires-for-its-expansion-and-manifestation-the/) [Jane Addams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-addams/) > [“It’s a great honor, m’ijo. We know that. I’m sure everyone in Ysleta is proud of you. But this is who you are," she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-troncoso/it-s-a-great-honor-m-ijo-we-know-that-i-m-sure-everyone-in-ysleta-is/) [Sergio Troncoso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-troncoso/) > [Jewish history turns out not to be an either/or story - as in, either pure Judaism detached from its surroundings or else assimilation -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/jewish-history-turns-out-not-to-be-an-either-or-story-as-in-either/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [“Fuck I hate fucks Who think they’re so fucking great They know everything about fucking, When they’re just fucking fucks fucking! And no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/initially-no/fuck-i-hate-fucks-who-think-they-re-so-fucking-great-they-know/) [Initially NO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/initially-no/) > [“It's a fact— everyone is ignorant in some way or another. Ignorance is our deepest secret. And it is one of the scariest things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/it-s-a-fact-everyone-is-ignorant-in-some-way-or-another-ignorance-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [ “\[I\]nclusion, not assimilation, should be the key concept in seeking, ever seeking, a more perfect national union. Our own history has shown that we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/i-nclusion-not-assimilation-should-be-the-key-concept-in-seeking-ever/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [Great genius takes shape by contact with another great genius, but, less by assimilation than by friction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/great-genius-takes-shape-by-contact-with-another-great-genius-but/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [“Being an immigrant is not a status but a state of mind. It doesn’t stop when you “assimilate” or “integrate” or when you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/being-an-immigrant-is-not-a-status-but-a-state-of-mind-it-doesn-t/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [“The Portland school board's policy equated integration and racial assimilation. This policy, Rist explains, is a "means of socializing nonwhite students to act, speak,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-bell/the-portland-school-board-s-policy-equated-integration-and-racial/) [Derrick Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-bell/) ## More by Robert A. Williams, Jr > [Very much like African-Americans, the history of America is taking away resources, whether it's labor or whether it's land from one racial group to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/very-much-like-african-americans-the-history-of-america-is-taking/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) > [Savagery was a word that Westerners used to, again, to consciously differentiate them from non-Westerners, to assert that superiority, that cultural superiority. It goes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/savagery-was-a-word-that-westerners-used-to-again-to-consciously/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) > [US law and international human rights law have radically diverged in the past years in terms of the recognition of indigenous people's rights. International…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/us-law-and-international-human-rights-law-have-radically-diverged-in/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) > [In fact, George Washington had been an Indian fighter since the French and Indian War. And a lot of folks, particularly in the red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/in-fact-george-washington-had-been-an-indian-fighter-since-the-french/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) > [What this ideology, what this myth about savagery did was really excuse America for the disappearance of the Indian. It wasn't our fault. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/what-this-ideology-what-this-myth-about-savagery-did-was-really/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) > [Today what we see is tribes moving into the 21st century and facing real 21st century problems of globalization, of multi-national, national resource development,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/today-what-we-see-is-tribes-moving-into-the-21st-century-and-facing/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) > [What John Marshall says is that right of occupancy can be taken away by purchase, conquest or any other means. So the reason that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/what-john-marshall-says-is-that-right-of-occupancy-can-be-taken-away/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) > [Until we start attacking the root of the historical problems of discrimination against Indians, and those Indians begin in these stereotypes, that Indians are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/until-we-start-attacking-the-root-of-the-historical-problems-of/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) > [The Navajo, for example, regard their traditional lands as within the four sacred peaks. One of those sacred peaks is the San Francisco Peaks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/the-navajo-for-example-regard-their-traditional-lands-as-within-the/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) > [When Europeans came to the New World the first thing they said is, well, Indians don't appreciate property. They're savage. They're backwards. They're uncivilized.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/when-europeans-came-to-the-new-world-the-first-thing-they-said-is/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) > [That Indians are lawless people, I would change that because it's probably the most harmful stereotype.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/that-indians-are-lawless-people-i-would-change-that-because-it-s/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) > [The case of Johnson v. M'Intosh is exactly why Congress can pass legislation as it did with the Rio Tinto land mine deal because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/the-case-of-johnson-v-m-intosh-is-exactly-why-congress-can-pass/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) > [African-Americans were dispossessed of the land by being brought over here in slave ships, whereas Indians were on the land and fought literally wars…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/african-americans-were-dispossessed-of-the-land-by-being-brought-over/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) > [In fact, Native American Rights Fund has a project called the Supreme Court Project. And quite frankly, it's focused on trying to keep cases…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/in-fact-native-american-rights-fund-has-a-project-called-the-supreme/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) > [One was a horrible case called Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe which denied tribes the right to criminally prosecute non-Indians who commit crimes on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/one-was-a-horrible-case-called-oliphant-v-suquamish-indian-tribe/) [Robert A. Williams, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) [Explore all 22 Robert A. Williams, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/) ## More Assimilation quotes > [“The Portland school board's policy equated integration and racial assimilation. This policy, Rist explains, is a "means of socializing nonwhite students to act, speak,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-bell/the-portland-school-board-s-policy-equated-integration-and-racial/) [Derrick Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-bell/) > [“Being an immigrant is not a status but a state of mind. It doesn’t stop when you “assimilate” or “integrate” or when you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/being-an-immigrant-is-not-a-status-but-a-state-of-mind-it-doesn-t/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [Great genius takes shape by contact with another great genius, but, less by assimilation than by friction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-heine/great-genius-takes-shape-by-contact-with-another-great-genius-but/) [Heinrich Heine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-heine/) > [ “\[I\]nclusion, not assimilation, should be the key concept in seeking, ever seeking, a more perfect national union. Our own history has shown that we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rather/i-nclusion-not-assimilation-should-be-the-key-concept-in-seeking-ever/) [Dan Rather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-rather/) > [“It's a fact— everyone is ignorant in some way or another. Ignorance is our deepest secret. And it is one of the scariest things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/it-s-a-fact-everyone-is-ignorant-in-some-way-or-another-ignorance-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [“Fuck I hate fucks Who think they’re so fucking great They know everything about fucking, When they’re just fucking fucks fucking! And no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/initially-no/fuck-i-hate-fucks-who-think-they-re-so-fucking-great-they-know/) [Initially NO](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/initially-no/) > [Jewish history turns out not to be an either/or story - as in, either pure Judaism detached from its surroundings or else assimilation -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/jewish-history-turns-out-not-to-be-an-either-or-story-as-in-either/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [“It’s a great honor, m’ijo. We know that. I’m sure everyone in Ysleta is proud of you. But this is who you are," she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergio-troncoso/it-s-a-great-honor-m-ijo-we-know-that-i-m-sure-everyone-in-ysleta-is/) [Sergio Troncoso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergio-troncoso/) > [Intellectual life requires for its expansion and manifestation the influences and assimilation of the interests and affections of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-addams/intellectual-life-requires-for-its-expansion-and-manifestation-the/) [Jane Addams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-addams/) > [“Does assimilation mean that they never came up against naked prejudice? Does it mean that you understood where the limits of your social world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-de-waal/does-assimilation-mean-that-they-never-came-up-against-naked/) [Edmund de Waal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-de-waal/) > [Knowledge is a free good. The biggest cost in its transmission is not in the production or distribution of knowledge, but in its assimilation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-arrow/knowledge-is-a-free-good-the-biggest-cost-in-its-transmission-is-not/) [Kenneth Arrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-arrow/) > [“If you aren't destroying your enemies, it's because you have been conquered and assimilated, you do not even have an idea of who your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/if-you-aren-t-destroying-your-enemies-it-s-because-you-have-been/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [Finally it should be the earnest wish and paramount aim of the military administration to win the confidence, respect, and affection of the inhabitants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-mckinley/finally-it-should-be-the-earnest-wish-and-paramount-aim-of-the/) [William McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-mckinley/) > [If you would be a writer, first be a reader. Only through the assimilation of ideas, thoughts and philosophies can one begin to focus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-w-eckert/if-you-would-be-a-writer-first-be-a-reader-only-through-the/) [Allan W. Eckert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allan-w-eckert/) > [We must have life building, man-making, character-making assimilation of ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/we-must-have-life-building-man-making-character-making-assimilation/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) [Browse all 141 Assimilation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assimilation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Congress passed the 1887 General Allotment Act. And that act ended up dispossessing tribes of 90 million acres. That history of dispossession was also accompanied by a history of forced assimilation whether it was in residential schools, whether it was in dismantling traditional tribal governance structures. And the justifications for that is that you're not as good as us. Our systems are better. Our modes of education. Our ways of owning land, our ways of working have been continually cited to Indians as the reason for these government policies.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert A. Williams, Jr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/congress-passed-the-1887-general-allotment-act-and-that-act-ended-up/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assimilation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/congress-passed-the-1887-general-allotment-act-and-that-act-ended-up/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/robert-a-williams-jr-26038_assimilation_congress-passed-the-1887-general-allotme_2029627.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/robert-a-williams-jr-26038_assimilation_congress-passed-the-1887-general-allotme_2029627.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc2/robert-a-williams-jr-26038_assimilation_congress-passed-the-1887-general-allotme_2029627.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Congress passed the 1887 General Allotment Act. And that act ended up dispossessing tribes of 90 million…” — Robert A. Williams, Jr", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Robert A. Williams, Jr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-williams-jr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Congress passed the 1887 General Allotment...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/congress-passed-the-1887-general-allotment-act-and-that-act-ended-up/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-williams-jr/congress-passed-the-1887-general-allotment-act-and-that-act-ended-up/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```