The Curtis Act of 1898 was an amendment to the United States Dawes Act; it resulted in the break-up of tribal governments and communal lands in Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) of the Five Civilized Tribes of Indian Territory: the Choctaw, Chickasaw, Muscogee (Creek), Cherokee, and Seminole.

He read law, became an attorney, and later was elected to the United States House of Representatives and Senate.

[5] In the usual fashion, by the time the bill HR 8581 had gone through five revisions in committees in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, there was little left of Curtis' original draft.

[9] The Act incorporated the basic points regarding land allotments and termination of tribal governments that had earlier appeared in the Atoka Agreement between the Choctaw and Chickasaw Nations.

In the end, the large parts declared by the government to be "surplus" to their needs were made available for sale, including to non-Natives.

An estimated 90 million acres of land formerly reserved for Native Americans were removed from their control.

An incorporated town or city had the right to self-regulation and levy taxes, allowing them to establish public services.