The government believed the Native Americans would be better off being apart of the American society. To put them there, they passed the House Concurrent Resolution 108 of 1953. It stated that the recognition of sovereign tribes would end, Indians would not be in charge of their reservations, and they would no longer be exempt from state laws.
As they were terminated, the tribes lost their traditional rights to land, hunting, and fishing. It also terminated most of the federal support for health care and eduction programs, as well as police and fire departments. Many tribes didn't have the funds after being terminated to keep them going because of isolation and economic problems. You would think that the government would see the problems they were creating and change their minds. I guess not, though, because they obviously kept going. Also passed in 1953, Public Law 280 gave state governments power over Indian reservations that had previously been exempt from state jurisdiction.
The effects of this policy ended up being nothing but bad. 109 tribes were terminated, 13263 Native Americans lost affiliation with their tribes, and over a million acres of land were removed from protected status. Education and health care also suffered greatly.
Native American education suffered such that one tribe had a drop-out rate of 75%. That rate resulted in a generation that only had a 9th grade eduction. Some tribes no longer had their own schools. Younger children were still able to attend close to home but high school students had to travel a distance and were discriminated against in the public school they attended.
Once a tribe was terminated, it no longer was eligible for health care through the Indian Health Service. They no longer had hospitals or the means to get heath care. Dental and eye care were no longer available for many. One of the largest problems reported by schools was that Indian children needed medical treatment that their parents could not afford.
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