The Indian Reorganization Act (IRA), sometimes called the "Indian New Deal," was the centerpiece of this era.

The IRA - also known as the Wheeler-Howard Act - was signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on June 18, 1934. The IRA attempted to improve the political, economic, and social conditions of American Indians in a number of ways:

• Privatization was terminated
• Some of the land taken was returned and new land could be purchased with federal funds
• A policy of tribal self-government was implemented
• Tribes were allowed to incorporate businesses and credit established to further such business
• Education & employment opportunities were greatly enhanced

While there were some problems with the law (particularly in its implementation), it showed some significant successes.

Instead of forcing Indian people to forsake their traditions for new lives on farms or in cities, the IRA recognized their right to exist as a separate culture.

The act included the establishment of chartered tribal governments with constitutions and bylaws based on a template of the Federal Government which was fashioned after the Iroquois Confederacy.

This period was the first time in American Indian history that tribal councils were formally recognized as having nation to nation status with the Federal Government.