"Kill the Indian in him, and save the man."
Thesis
Fueled by the belief that assimilating American Indians was its responsibility, the United States government disregarded the inalienable right to culture, given by tribes' inherent sovereignty. Cultural assimilation was approached from many angles; the boarding school system remains one of the most significant. These institutions replaced tribal traditions with those thought appropriate for United States citizens. It took decades for the government to realize its true responsibility was to preserve the cultures of the indigenous people.
Introduction
In its efforts to create a homogeneous America, the U.S. government found using education to mold children into patriotic, productive citizens as the most effective method of assimilating the native populations into "civilized" white culture. The strict programs of day schools, reservation schools, and most notably boarding schools, grew throughout the nation, working to eradicate a culture deemed inferior.
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The first school was Carlisle Indian School, established by Governor Pratt. His intentions in creating Carlisle reflect the erroneous notion that American Indians needed to be cured of their culture.
"A great general has said that the only good Indian is a dead one. . . . In a sense, I agree with the sentiment, but only in this: that all the Indian there is in the race should be dead. Kill the Indian in him, and save the man."
- Governor Richard Henry Pratt