Connecticut Indian Land Claims Settlement facts for kids
The Connecticut Indian Land Claims Settlement was an important agreement made by the United States government in 1983. This agreement helped solve a long-standing problem for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. The tribe had sued to get back 800 acres of their land in Ledyard, Connecticut. This land was part of their reservation from 1666.
The state of Connecticut sold this land in 1855. However, they did not get approval from the U.S. Senate. The Mashantucket Pequot Tribe said this sale was against a law called the Nonintercourse Act. This law controls how land deals happen between Native Americans and other people.
The 1983 agreement gave $900,000 to buy back the disputed land. This land, along with the tribe's original reservation, was then put "in trust" with the federal government. This means the government holds the land for the tribe. The agreement also allowed Connecticut to have some power over the land, like enforcing laws. But the state could not make new rules for the tribe's land.
This agreement was very important for the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe. It gave them official recognition from the federal government. It also gave them control over their land. This control allowed them to build the Foxwoods Resort Casino. Foxwoods became one of the largest casinos in the world. It helped the tribe create jobs and support their community.
Expanding Tribal Lands
After 1993, the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe wanted to buy more land. They wanted to put this new land "in trust" with the federal government too. This process is allowed under a law called the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.
Local towns in Connecticut did not want the tribe to add more land. They even sued the tribe to try and stop it. However, in 1996 and 1998, the U.S. Department of Interior approved the tribe's requests. They put about 165 acres and then another 146 acres into trust for the tribe.
Later, a Supreme Court decision in 2009, called Carcieri v. Salazar, changed things. This decision made it harder for tribes to put new lands into trust. This meant the Mashantucket Pequot Tribe could not add more land to their trust lands after that ruling.
