Native American Reservation System Case Study

1. What was the most difficult aspect of the reservation system for Native Americans to accept and why?Consider factors such as conversion to Christianity, getting a formal education, having to speak English, etc. and be sure to discuss how this "acceptance" sacrificed cultural identity.

For Native Americans the reservation system would destroy so much of their culture and their identity as a people, and the factors that led to this are many. Of the different acts that stripped Native Americans from whom they were would likely be the changes to education and the means of which they were stripped from the ability to even teach their own children, ultimately taking away parental influence from them. In my view this fundamental aspect of raising
In the Ethnic Dimension in American History on page 192, it mentions the Carlisle School used non reservational schools that were designed to remove Native children from their reservations and tribal environments. While this was primarily the flagship program that began the process of taking away educational responsibilities from various tribes. The program was mostly incorporating in places like Pennsylvania but spread across many reservations. The psychological damage that this likely caused would be detrimental to the cultural identity of these Native Americans for both the children and parents. The whole concept of relocating so many Native Americans and stripping them of their land was horrible and it seemed like that measure was not enough, the war waged on their culture showed itself in many ways from banning cultural and religious events, to trying to impose specific economic plans like large scale agriculture, but I think it was the taking away of educational responsibilities that was one of the most damaging aspects of the reservation system because it ultimately sought to remove these people from their own