The left photo shows some Lakota boys upon arrival at the Carlisle Indian Industrial school. The right photo shows these same boys after spending some time at the school. Would these boys have a better future than their peers who did not attend the school? What are the possible costs and the consequences (positive and negative) of their attending?

The 5 stages of U.S. Indian policy, 1789-present Sovereignty, Expulsion, Allotment & Assimilation, Termination and Relocation, Self-determination, 1962-present

Sovereignty, The United States federal government managed trade and diplomatic relations that involved Indians and their lands. Natives were recognized only as occupants of the land, and not owners.

The Dawes Act, 1887 Privatization of reservation land  1881 Indians held 155,000,000 acres  1890 they held 104,000,000  1900 they held 77,000,000 Allotment & Assimilation,

Expulsion, : Andrew Jackson ignores Cherokee Nation v. Georgia Allows the Five Civilized Tribes to be driven west (Trail of Tears)

Education for Extinction: American Indians and the Boarding School Experience,

“Kill the Indian and Save the Man” - Captain Richard Henry Pratt Stated Purpose of BIA Boarding Schools: “Assimilate American Indian children into the American culture by placing them in institutions where they are forced to reject their own culture.”

1)Provide Indian children with the rudiments of an academic education, including reading, writing, and speaking English. 2)Indians needed to be individualized, as reformers felt that tribal life placed more importance on the tribal community than on the individual. 3)“Indian education was Americanization.” Intent of Indian Education

Most Native groups often only cut hair in incidents of mourning. The hair cutting at school became very symbolic All but bangs was shaved (including girls) inches of bangs were kept as a “handle” to grab when necessary. Dead as an Indian - reborn as a white man You are no longer the person you were - you are the person “we are going to make you.” Haircuts

Do not Contaminate the “Americanization” Change of dress: Usually a uniform Change of language: Indian languages, customs, and religions were prohibited, and parental visits were discouraged.

Boys and girls were subjected to marching drills, to exterminate their “innate wildness.” Also subjected to corporal punishment. Students who resisted or refused to conform to school rules were kept in the school “jail” or “guardhouse.” Rules & Methods

Children often suffered from either malnourishment, which arose from extreme dietary changes, or undernourishment, due to limited supplies of food. Diseases were rampant, because of dietary problems and because of the shoddy construction and condition of the school buildings. Consequences

Termination and Relocation, Less traditional American Indians, congressional leaders, and government administrators developed a policy that they hoped would integrate the Indian population with mainstream America. They enacted laws to relocate Indians to the nation’s cities. They believed that once Indians left the reservation, they would have opportunities for education and employment—and assimilation.

Self-determination, 1962-present In 1968, the Indian Civil Right Act was passed. It recognized the Indian tribes as sovereign nations with the federal government. The Self-Determination and Educational Assistance Act of 1975, allowed tribes to have more tribal control over federally subsidized programs for Indians. The Indian Child Welfare Act of 1978, granted tribal government jurisdiction over child custody and adoption on the reservation.

Reservations in the U.S