When Congress passed the Dawes Act in 1887, the promise was independence and prosperity for Native Americans through private land ownership. Instead, the policy stripped away two-thirds of tribal lands, forced assimilation, and brought a devastating rise in death rates.
New Stanford research shows mortality among Native Americans surged by roughly 20% after allotment began. By the mid-1930s, white Americans lived to an average age of 65, while Native Americans’ life expectancy was just 52. Child mortality proved especially stark. In 1900, Native mothers were already more likely to lose a child than white mothers by 12 percentage points. Allotment increased that gap by nearly half.
Grant Miller, a Stanford professor of health policy, said the health toll of allotment has been underexamined. “There has been little understanding of how these policies contributed to substantial health inequality between American Indians and other Americans,” he explained. The team’s analysis found that Native women exposed to allotment earlier in life faced higher risks of losing children.
Sociologist Matthew Snipp, a co-author, said the policy’s broader effect was to dismantle Native communities. “It’s difficult to understate the importance and role of allotment in ending American Indians’ traditional way of life and serving the interests of others,” he said.
The health gap persists today. Native Americans have a life expectancy of 65.6 years—more than a decade shorter than other U.S. groups—and continue to die at higher rates from diabetes, liver disease, and suicide.
See: “Fatal Trade-Off: Land Allotment Policy Raised Native American Death Rates” (September 25, 2025)
