A Final Promise: The Campaign to Assimilate the Indians, 1880–1920 by Frederick E. Hoxie examines the U.S. government’s systematic efforts to assimilate Native Americans during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The book explores the policies, legislation, and social forces aimed at “solving the Indian question,” highlighting the Dawes Act of 1887, related laws, and court decisions that undermined treaty obligations and dispossessed Indigenous peoples of their lands.
Hoxie details the roles of schoolteachers, missionaries, and federal agents, who were deployed to reservations to enforce cultural and educational assimilation. Native Americans were granted nominal citizenship but without meaningful rights, and through allotment policies, they lost roughly two-thirds of their reservation land.
The book situates these events within broader economic, political, and social contexts, vividly portraying both Anglo-American actors and Native leaders and communities. By analyzing motives, consequences, and resistance, Hoxie offers a nuanced account of assimilation efforts and their enduring impact. This work is essential for understanding the cultural, legal, and human consequences of U.S. Indian policy during this transformative period.