Courtesy of State Historical Society of Iowa, 15 July 1856
Description
This document is a law enacted by the Iowa General Assembly permitting American Indians to buy land in Iowa. The Act was passed in 1856. The following year, the Meskwaki purchased land in Tama County, Iowa. The Meskwaki were the first American Indian tribe to purchase land after the federal Indian Removal Act of 1830 was passed.
Transcript of Iowa Law to "Allow Meskwaki to Purchase Land and Live in Tama, Iowa"
Source-Dependent Question
- In 1830, the federal government passed a law requiring all American Indians to be removed to areas west of Missouri and Arkansas. What does this law allow the Meskwaki to do? Who is giving the Meskwaki permission to stay in Iowa? Why is that significant?