Native American Schooling Essay -- essays research papers

native Australian SchoolingFor many years Native American mass have been discriminated against in the United States as advantageously as in the Public School agreement. Beginning with the common-school movement of the 1830s and 1840s, which attempted to stop the watercourse toward a more diverse society, the school systems have continued to be geared exclusively toward WASPS (White Anglo-Saxon Protestants). Native Americans have been forced to forsake their culture and conform to our American ways (Rothenberg, 1998, pp. 258-259.) Thomas L. McKenney focused on deculturalizing the children through public schooling ( parachute, 1997, p. 16). McKenney served as superintendent of Indian cover for fourteen years. After that office was abolished in 1823, he was appointed as the first head of the Office of Indian affairs. His idea was that a individual could civilize the Native American children in schools when they were away from their parents. He tested to force assimilation on th ese Native American children. He treasured them to convert to Christianity, and adopt the WASPs beliefs and morals. In 1827 McKenney wrote to the Secretary of War, mob Barbour stating that, children, who only needed to be protected from evil . . . and under the conditions of closing off and study Indians could be civilized in one generation (Spring, 1997, p.18). Missionaries were direct to the tribes to spread the word of Christianity under the Civilization Act. Today the act of send in missionaries would be viewed as a violation of the First Amendment. The amendment states that in that respect shall be no governmental support of any religion. In that date though they were still beginning their school day with a class period from the Protestant Bible (Spring, 1997, p. 18). The Presbyterian and Congregationalist churches brought into existence the American Board of Commissioners for unknown Missions (ABCFM) in 1810. Their mission was solid groundwide and they sent missionari es abroad as well as the Native American tribes. According to Spring, the missionaries viewed the Native Americans as inappropriate heathen. A powerful example of the path to deculturalization was Reverend James Ramseys visit to a Choctaw school in 1846. As quoted in the Spring text, Ramsey stated, I showed them on a map that the people who speak the English language, and who occupied so small a part of ... ... p. 103), which encouraged Indian involvement in the school systems. This required a separate local committal to fend for the population if the majority of the school board was not Native American. This committee was given control over all Native American education programs affiliated with the United States Government. The ideals of this act were expanded upon in 1988 with the Tribally Controlled Schools Act. This act provided for grants to be given directly to tribes to fund the operation of their schools. With these positive modifications equality is in the possible, but distant future. Native Americans have been oppressed for hundreds of years since the their the three estates was taken from them. The United States Government simply expects the Native Americans to assimilate to our society. Their culture and tribal ways have been stolen without a sulphur thought. The government should provide some sort of retribution for these people. Perhaps Native American culture should be taught in our schools as well as American culture. Hopefully, someday everything will be equal in the world as well as in the public school system no matter what the persons heritage.