Analyzing a Document about Teaching at Indian Boarding Schools

Use this activity during study of U.S. government policy toward Native Americans, and specifically American Indian Boarding Schools and cultural assimilation during the late 1800s – early 1900s. For grades 7-12. Approximate time needed is 30 minutes.

Begin by telling students that they will be working with a primary source document related to American Indian communities and education. Direct students to begin the activity individually, in pairs, or in small groups.

They will learn that this document was sent to the Secretary of the Board of Indian Commissioners in response to his request for information about Indian Boarding Schools. It compares the salaries and responsibilities of educators at Indian Boarding Schools with those of educators at public schools.

Students should look closely at the document and analyze key phrases and contextual clues to figure out what words or phrases may be whited out by considering which column describes Indian Boarding Schools and which column describes public schools.

Next they should click on “When You’re Done” and answer the following questions provided:

• Based on this document, do you think the job of a teacher at an Indian Boarding School was similar to that of a public school teacher? Why or why not?
• Federal policies related to Indian Boarding schools in the early 20th century sought to assimilate members of Native Communities into “White” mainstream society by forbidding the pupils to speak their native languages, dress in their traditional clothing, or practice their cultural traditions. Are there details from this document that connect to these policies? If so, list them.

Reconvene as a full class and discuss students’ observations and answers. You might point out the difference in time required of teachers in Indian Boarding Schools as opposed to public day schools. Ask students to consider what a 365-day commitment for 24 hours a day from teachers at the Indian Boarding School can tell us about the schedule of the schools.

Regarding the role of Indian Boarding Schools in federal assimilation policies, students may note that the Boarding School students learned about food preparation and domestic duties, including canning fruit and vegetables, doing laundry, and sewing.

Lastly, share with students that the document they saw is an excerpt from a longer letter that the superintendent of the Cherokee Indian School in Cherokee, North Carolina, sent in response to a request for positive information to share with Congress for additional funding for the Indian School Program. Ask students if this changes their opinion of the information in this document? Why or why not?

Show students the full document, including the letter (pages 4-6). You can use this document in further discussion about “point of view” or bias in documents (that the letter was written in a certain way for a specific audience and purpose). Discuss with students additional documents that could be used to develop a fuller understanding of American Indian Boarding Schools in connection with this letter. Examples may be syllabi and reports, or letters to or from both students and administrators discussing American Indian Boarding Schools.