Question

What government policies made places like the Carlisle Indian school necessary?

Answer 1

The Carlisle Indian Industrial School was an Indian boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania that operated from 1879 to 1918. At that time, it was believed that the only way for American Indians to survive in the new society was for them to be assimilated into mainstream American culture. The school became the model for 26 other Indian Boarding Schools across the country.

The Progressive Era of the late 19th and early 20th century wanted to achieve progress and development for the nation. Native American people were seen as an obstacle to achieving that modernity. Acquiring lands, restricting cultural and religious practices and sending children to boarding schools were the most common government policies of the period. These practices decreased the Indian population, both in terms of population and in terms of power and autonomy. As their presence decreased, there was even more of a need for boarding schools, as a way to integrate those people who were losing their culture due to assimilation even further.