The Long Road to Tribal Citizenship, 1879–1924

University of Montana Native American Studies professor Dr. Richmond Clow discusses how reformers began the citizenship push in 1879 as a dream for individual tribesmen. Beginning in 1882, specific statutes were passed advancing citizenship, and over the next two decades, most tribesmen became citizens even before Congress enacted the 1924 Indian Citizenship Act. Montana, like other states, experienced the consequences of these multiple and measured citizenship efforts both before and after World War I.