By the 19th century, the Nipmuc were reduced to wards of the state, and were administered by state-appointed non-Native commissioners. The passage of the Massachusetts Enfranchisement Act of 1869 effectively 'detribalised' the Nipmuc, and the last of the remaining Indian plantation lands were sold. But Nipmuc communities continued to survive, and in the mid-20th century the tribe reorganized to engage its members. It received state recognition in 1979. Its efforts at federal recognition have not yet met with success, largely because it lost its lands so long ago and has had difficulty proving political and social continuity.