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Timeline / Defining Rights and Responsibilities / 1849: Indian Affairs moves to Interior Department; U.S. approach to tribes shifts

1849: Indian Affairs moves to Interior Department; U.S. approach to tribes shifts

Signaling a change in approach toward Native peoples, the federal government moves the Office of Indian Affairs from the War Department, which runs the military, to the Interior Department, which manages public lands. When the War Department was established, American Indian tribes were military powers that could threaten frontier settlements. The country’s growth, together with the destructive effects of disease and warfare, made the tribes less intimidating. The national desire for westward expansion from sea to sea ensured the removal of tribes from vast tracts of “public” lands.

Theme
Federal-Tribal Relations
Region
California, Great Basin, Great Plains, Northeast, Northwest Coast, Plateau, Southeast, Southwest