Through the "Gradual Civilization Act" in 1857, the government would encourage Indians (i.e., First Nations) to "enfranchise" – to "remove all legal distinctions between and Her Majesty's other Canadian Subjects". If an Aboriginal chose to enfranchise, it would strip them and their family of Aboriginal title, with the idea that they would become "less savage" and "more civilized," thus become assimilated into Canadian society. However, they were often still defined as "non-citizens" by Europeans, and those few who did enfranchise were often met with disappointment.