Dawes Act of 1887

Also known as The General Allotment Act

Pratt started Carlisle Industrial Indian School

English Only

Commissioner F.D.C Atkins

Forced assimilation: Taking kids from parents

Parents threatened by rations limited and jail time

Not allowed to visit parents during the summer

Kids are abused when speaking their language.

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Used to separate Native families and break up tribes

Dividing Native lands into sections

Heads of the family are given 160 acres

Many families were separated by hundreds of miles

Unable to gather for normal ceremonies

The connection that Native families had was destroyed

Taught Natives about individualism

Was meant to teach Natives about farming and owning land

BUT enforced the idea that the Natives were depended on the government

Day schools and boarding schools

On and off the reservation

Some schools allowed older students to speak their native language to younger students, to help them understand English

A lot of missionary teachers saw the advantages of knowing the Native Language to teach English

"main purpose of educating them is to enable them to read, write, and speak the English language and to transact business with English speaking people"

Annual report of 1887: argued for the exclusive use of English in all Indian Schools

"Indians acquire the English language as rapidly as possible "

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