Quote:
In its 1903 decision in the case of
Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock, the United States Supreme Court rejected the efforts of three Native American tribes to prevent the opening of tribal lands to non-Indian settlement without tribal consent. In his study of the
Lone Wolf case, Blue Clark properly emphasizes the Court’s assertion of a virtually unlimited unilateral power of Congress (the House of Representatives and the Senate) over Native American affairs. But he fails to note the decision’s more far-reaching impact: shortly after
Lone Wolf, the federal government totally abandoned negotiation and execution of formal written agreements with Indian tribes as a prerequisite for the implementation of federal Indian policy. Many commentators believe that this change had already occurred in 1871 when—following a dispute between the House and the Senate over which chamber should enjoy primacy in Indian affairs—Congress abolished the making of treaties with Native American tribes. But in reality the federal government continued to negotiate formal tribal agreements past the turn of the century, treating these documents not as treaties with sovereign nations requiring ratification by the Senate but simply as legislation to be passed by both houses of Congress. The
Lone Wolf decision ended this era of formal negotiation and finally did away with what had increasingly become the empty formality of obtaining tribal consent.
4. According to the passage, which of the following resulted from the Lone Wolf decision?The passage says the Lone Wolf decision not only affirmed broad congressional power over Native American affairs, but also led the federal government to stop making formal written agreements with tribes as a prerequisite for implementing federal Indian policy.
(A) The Supreme Court took on a greater role in Native American affairs.
Opposite of the passage’s point. The decision is described as expanding Congress’s unilateral power, not the Court’s role.
(B) Native American tribes lost their legal standing as sovereign nations in their dealings with the federal government, but their ownership of tribal lands was confirmed.
The passage discusses treaties vs legislation and the end of formal negotiation, but it does not say tribes’ sovereignty was legally ended by Lone Wolf, and it definitely does not say land ownership was confirmed.
(C) The federal government no longer needed to conclude a formal agreement with a Native American tribe in order to carry out policy decisions that affected the tribe.
This matches directly: “shortly after Lone Wolf, the federal government totally abandoned negotiation and execution of formal written agreements... as a prerequisite.” That is exactly what C says.
This is the result stated in the passage.(D) The federal government began to appropriate tribal lands for distribution to non-Indian settlers.
Opening lands to settlement is mentioned as what the tribes tried to prevent in the case, but the passage’s claimed “more far-reaching impact” is about ending formal agreements, not beginning land appropriation as a new practice.
(E) Native American tribes were no longer able to challenge congressional actions by appealing to the Supreme Court.
Not stated. The passage talks about congressional power and abandoning negotiations, not cutting off Supreme Court challenges.
Answer: (C)