Yesterday our class was given a presentation and watched a video on boarding schools. We learned how the United States government forced the Native Americans children to attend the boarding schools. This was a method from the United States government to eliminate the Native Americans culture and way of life. They followed a metaphor ” Kill the Indian and Save the Man.” Our class learned the boarding schools does have its pros, like giving the children an education, but mainly the boarding schools objective was to eliminate the Native Americans. The boarding schools prevented Native Americans from practicing their cultural traditions, were subject to abuse, and illnesses.
Personally I do have to agree the boarding schools did have some good intentions to educate the the Native American children, but was conducted in the wrong way. I believe the children should be educated to read, write, and develop critical thinking skills, but the schools should not prevent the children from learning about the culture of their people. The reason is they would loose their sense of identity and who they are, rather than be lost or brain washed to a false identity. In having a false identity can lead to self destruction, like suicide or drowning themselves in alcohol and substance abuse when learning about the truth. The boarding schools are a prime example of what can happen.