Group of Omaha boys in cadet uniforms, Carlisle Indian School, Pennsylvania
1880
Add to Favorites:
Add all page(s) of this document to activity:
Founded in 1879, the United States Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania (generally called the Carlisle Indian School) was a federally funded boarding school for Native Americans.
Nineteenth-century White attitudes led to a belief that the only way to “save” Native Americans from rapid population decline was to rapidly and forcibly assimilate them into White American culture. The Indian boarding school system, of which the Carlisle School was a part, tried to “Kill the Indian: Save the Man” with strict military discipline and policies such as changing the students’ Native names to English ones, and punishing them for speaking their Native language or practicing their religious beliefs.
From 1879 until its closure in 1918, more than 10,000 Native American children from 140 tribes attended Carlisle, often with little choice. The federal government justified forced removal based on prevailing White beliefs that Native American parenting practices were inferior to White ones, resulting in a multi-generational loss of culture and other untold damage.
Nineteenth-century White attitudes led to a belief that the only way to “save” Native Americans from rapid population decline was to rapidly and forcibly assimilate them into White American culture. The Indian boarding school system, of which the Carlisle School was a part, tried to “Kill the Indian: Save the Man” with strict military discipline and policies such as changing the students’ Native names to English ones, and punishing them for speaking their Native language or practicing their religious beliefs.
From 1879 until its closure in 1918, more than 10,000 Native American children from 140 tribes attended Carlisle, often with little choice. The federal government justified forced removal based on prevailing White beliefs that Native American parenting practices were inferior to White ones, resulting in a multi-generational loss of culture and other untold damage.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
National Archives Identifier: 519136
Full Citation: Group of Omaha boys in cadet uniforms, Carlisle Indian School, Pennsylvania; 1880; Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Record Group 75. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/group-of-omaha-boys-in-cadet-uniforms-carlisle-indian-school-pennsylvania, October 13, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
