In the late 1800’s, the federal government began sending Native American children to off-reservation boarding schools. This was an attempt to assimilate Native Americans into American culture. While at the boarding schools, Native American children could not speak their native languages, use their given names, practice their religion or culture. Instead, they were given Anglo-American names, clothing, and haircuts. Their school curriculum included classes in reading, writing, and math but focused on vocational training.

Learning Objective(s):

• Students will identify how the federal government attempted to force Native American children to assimilate into American culture.
• Students will answer a prompt about forced cultural assimilation.