Which of the following was NOT a result of the Dawes Severalty Act?

The Dawes Severalty Act, enacted in 1887, aimed to assimilate Native Americans into American society by breaking up tribal lands and allotting individual parcels to Native American families. This policy was rooted in the belief that individual land ownership would promote farming and integration into Western culture.

The correct answer, which notes that assurance of Native American religious freedom was NOT a result of the Dawes Act, reflects the broader context of Native American rights during this period. The act focused primarily on land allotment and economic integration, rather than religious or cultural rights. In fact, the era was marked by various policies that often suppressed Native American spirituality and practices, as the U.S. government sought to enforce assimilation.

The other options illustrate direct consequences of the Dawes Act. Ending community-owned tribal lands was a central aim of the legislation, as it aimed to dismantle communal landholding systems. Citizenship being granted to individual land allotment recipients was indeed a consequence of the act, as those who accepted allotments under the law were granted U.S. citizenship. Lastly, the act led to the sale of unallotted lands, which subsequently financed education efforts for Native Americans, although these educational programs were often focused on assimilating Native Americans into Western culture,