President Franklin Roosevelt New Deal for American Indians – The Indian Reorganization Act of 1934
The act restored to Indians the management of their assets, which included provisions intended to create a sound economic foundation. Section 17 of the IRA empowered the Secretary of the Interior and the governing bodies of federally recognized tribes to form chartered corporations as an economic development tool separately from the tribal political government.
Implementation of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934
Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes initiated the implementation of the IRA that John Collier was instrumental in championing. The Secretary is empowered to approve charters of incorporation in furtherance of economic development.
President Richard M. Nixon dramatically changed the wandering course of federal Indian policy that had developed in the 1930s and 1950s. In his special message to the Congress on Indian affairs on July 8, 1970, he encouraged Congress to end the fear of termination by assuring tribal autonomy by recognizing tribes’ right to self-determination without termination. “… [We must make it clear that Indians can become independent of federal control without being cut off from federal concern and federal support.” Nixon’s message included an emphasis on economic development as an important component of self-determination. His missive provided the impetus and the foundation for a string of legislative acts whose underlying policy was to further self-sufficiency and self-determination, including through economic development.
