Essay On Native American Boarding Schools

As a group, my group members and I discussed different topics from within the National History Day (NHD) theme book. However, we were stuck between two different topics which is Indian boarding schools or woman from the 1920’s. So, we both did our own research and our final decision was Indian boarding schools even though this topic was not within the NHD theme book. Also, we are specifically researching the negative actions that occurred to the Native American children within the boarding school. The reason my group members and I choose this topic was because it was a topic most people barely know much about and it is something that still affects the Native Americans to this day. As well as, this topic was chosen because it is an issue that …show more content…
This relates to the NHD theme because after the encounter between Americans and the Indians, they began to have the belief of manifest destiny. This caused them Native Americans to move into reservations and soon enough Americans have the belief they should be “civilized.” However, they believed it would be easier to start from a younger age so they created the boarding schools. The school was readily embraced since it was seen as a better option economically, instead of going to war with them. So, from the boarding schools, Native American children exchange their beliefs and customs to those of an American. From this exchange, the Indians began to lose their own language, beliefs, and customs. This topic is significant in history because it is a painful past for the Native American since there were cultural genocide and forced assimilation. This influenced history because Indians who were forced to go to the boarding schools lost their identity and parents were beginning to fight against the government to get rights for their children. Over time, the boarding schools began to have better conditions for the