Choctaw Education In The 1800s

The Story of Choctaw Education in the 1800s.

Choctaws have come a long way since their more savage, pre-colonial days. They have their own government within a government and many programs that aid tribal members and even some non-tribal members. For example they have free healthcare, wellness-centers and even museums. Much of this growth and development from a tribe into a wise and powerful nation was due to the education of these natives spearheaded by a Christian missionary movement during the 1800s. When the Choctaws moved or were moved into the general area of what is now Oklahoma around 1830, they quickly set up institutions of government. They also developed settlements, farms and schools after the fashion of the white settlers. This rapid progress was in part due to the presence of Christian missionaries sent by the government, and many protestant churches including Baptists, Presbyterians, and Methodists. The goal of the missionaries included not only conversion, but education of both young and old tribal

Raging epidemics would often keep the doors shut for weeks or even months at a time. Floods, a tornado, and two fires also slowed things down a bit. In 1865, The Civil War brought education to a screeching halt, and as many of the Choctaws had allied with the Confederates, the Union seized quite a bit of control, power, land and money from the Nation detrimentally affecting Choctaw institutions including the schools. For example, before the war congress had appropriated 10,000 dollars every year in support of Indian education which, when added to the money donated by a few missionary societies and the tribal governments and annuities, kept things pretty well funded. Thankfully after the war, the Choctaws sold land in the East and repaired their relationship with the US government, thereby restoring some power and sway to their government, as well as money toward their educational