The 1887 Dawes Act: How the US Tried to Erase Native America

The 1887 Dawes Act: How the US Tried to Erase Native America

In 1887, the US government passed the Dawes Severalty Act, a law that carved up communal Native American lands into individual allotments. Ostensibly meant to 'civilize' Native people by turning them into private-property-owning farmers, the Dawes Act instead resulted in the loss of roughly two-thirds of all Native-held land within fifty years. Lucas and Luna explore how this policy emerged from a coalition of well-meaning reformers and land-hungry speculators, how it dismantled tribal governance and cultural practices, and how figures like Senator Henry Dawes, the Carlisle Indian School founder Richard Henry Pratt, and the Omaha writer and activist Susette La Flesche shaped—or resisted—this assimilationist crusade. They trace the law's devastating consequences from the Cherokee Nation to the Lakota reservations, and consider its long shadow: the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934, the rise of tribal sovereignty movements, and the ongoing fight over land and identity in Indian Country today. This episode covers the allotment policy, the role of the Dawes Commission, the Curtis Act of 1898, the story of the Five Tribes, and the quiet resistance of Native communities who refused to disappear. #DawesAct #DawesSeveraltyAct #NativeAmericanHistory #HenryDawes #SusetteLaFlesche #RichardHenryPratt #CarlisleIndianSchool #Assimilation #Allotment #FiveTribes #CurtisAct #IndianTerritory #CherokeeNation #LandLoss #GildedAge #USHistory #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The 1885 North-West Rebellion: Louis Riel's Last Stand

In this episode of The Gilded Age, Lucas and Luna explore the 1885 North-West Rebellion, a lesser-known conflict that erupted at the same time as America's Gilded Age labor wars. We follow Métis leader Louis Riel, who returned from exile to lead a resistance against the Canadian government's encroachment on Indigenous lands. The rebellion climaxed at the Battle of Batoche, where Riel's forces were defeated by the Canadian militia. We discuss the trial of Louis Riel, his execution for treason, and the lasting impact on Métis rights and Canadian identity. The episode also touches on the role of Indigenous allies like Poundmaker and Big Bear, and the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, which enabled the government to quickly move troops west. Join us for a nuanced look at a pivotal moment in North American history. #LouisRiel #NorthWestRebellion #BattleOfBatoche #Métis #CanadianHistory #GildedAge #1885 #Poundmaker #BigBear #CanadianPacificRailway #RielRebellion #Saskatchewan #IndigenousHistory #SettlerColonialism #TrialOfLouisRiel #DominionOfCanada #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Gilded Age's 1888 Forgotten Blizzard: New York City Under White Silence

In March 1888, a massive blizzard paralyzed the northeastern United States, killing over 400 people and reshaping urban infrastructure. This episode focuses on New York City's experience during the Great White Hurricane: how the storm trapped commuters, collapsed telegraph wires, and sparked the creation of the city's first subway system. Luna and Lucas explore the human stories — the stranded at the Grand Central Depot, the heroics of the Brooklyn Bridge workers, and the lasting legacy of buried transit lines. They also discuss the rise of pneumatic tubes and the push for underground utilities, connecting the storm to broader Gilded Age anxieties about modernization and class. A deep dive into a weather event that changed how America built its cities. #GreatBlizzard1888 #NewYorkCity #GildedAge #VictorianEra #WinterStorm #UrbanHistory #Infrastructure #NYCSubway #GrandCentralDepot #PneumaticTubes #BrooklynBridge #ClimateHistory #DisasterResponse #AmericanHistory #Meteorology #IndustrialRevolution #History #FexingoHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The 1890s Bicycle Craze Remade American Women's Lives

When the safety bicycle arrived in the 1890s, it did more than change how Americans got around—it transformed women's lives. In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how the bicycle craze gave women unprecedented mobility, reshaped fashion, and became a flashpoint in the struggle for independence. They follow Annie Londonderry's globetrotting stunt, the rise of bloomers, and the backlash from moral watchdogs. They also discuss the League of American Wheelmen, the invention of the pneumatic tire, and the quiet revolution of women pedaling away from Victorian constraints. It's a story of freedom, backlash, and the everyday acts that redrew the boundaries of public life. #BicycleCraze #SafetyBicycle #AnnieLondonderry #Bloomers #VictorianEra #WomensHistory #LeagueOfAmericanWheelmen #PneumaticTire #JohnDunlop #1890s #GildedAge #History #FexingoHistory #TransportationHistory #FashionHistory #Suffrage #NewYorkWorld #AmeliaBloomer Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]

The Gilded Age's 1896 Gold vs Silver Crusade: Cross of Gold

In 1896, the United States faced a defining political crisis: would the country cling to the gold standard or embrace the free coinage of silver? This episode unpacks the dramatic Battle of the Standards, focusing on William Jennings Bryan's electrifying 'Cross of Gold' speech at the Democratic National Convention. We explore the economic anxieties of farmers and debtors, the rise of the Populist Party, and the role of silver miner and populist orator Mary Elizabeth Lease. We also look at the McKinley campaign's unprecedented fundraising and the election's legacy in shaping modern political parties. With vivid details on the convention floor, the silverite vs goldbug divide, and the real-world impact on ordinary Americans, this episode offers a fresh angle on a pivotal moment in Gilded Age politics. #GildedAge #1896Election #CrossOfGold #WilliamJenningsBryan #FreeSilver #GoldStandard #PopulistParty #MaryElizabethLease #WilliamMcKinley #DemocraticConvention #BattleOfTheStandards #Coxey #MoneyQuestion #USHistory #19thCentury #PoliticalHistory #FexingoHistory #History Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo [https://buymeacoffee.com/fexingo]