Then imagine you are an American Indian student returning from a year at one of these schools. You decide to write a letter explaining why no more children should be sent to the white boarding schools. What arguments would you make, and how? Put your case in a three to four paragraph persuasive essay.
Answers
Answer:
The Reservation Boarding School System
in the United States, 1870 -1928
Justification and Rationalization
Day Schools vs. Boarding Schools
Carlisle Indian School and Richard Henry Pratt
The System Begins to Fail
By way of introduction:
The Reservation Boarding School System was a war in disguise. It was a war between the United States government and the children of the First People of this land. Its intention was that of any war, elimination of the enemy. The reason this war is difficult to recognize is because it was covered by the attractive patina of a concept called "Manifest Destiny." Manifest Destiny was a philosophy by which the white european invader imagined themselves as having a divine right to take possession of all land and its fruits.
The reason that the Concept of Manifest Destiny was so effective was because, as it steam rolled across the land, it dragged the masses with it. The hooks that dragged these masses were many and were forged by Christianity and the Christian imprimatur. Although the fuel that energized Manifest Destiny was economic, the inspiration was in its alignment with divine will. This quote from the essay "God and the Land" illustrates this alignment