In decisions handed down in both 1884 and 1886, the Supreme Court of the United States held that Indians__________________.

A) could have their own independent military force to protect their reservations against white encroachment
B) could not be relegated to reservations against their will
C) were protected by the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments
D) were not citizens of the United States

Supreme Court

The highest federal court in the United States, which has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all federal and state court cases that involve a point of federal law.

Fourteenth Amendments

An amendment to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1868, that grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States and ensures equal protection under the laws.

Fifteenth Amendments

An amendment to the United States Constitution that grants the right to vote to citizens regardless of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude."