The Native Americans suffered through many things especially when Americans wanted to “Americanize” them. Americans wanted to turn Native American into Americans people and teach them their ways and make them forget their ways. American believed that this would kill the Indian and save the man. Boarding schools were an attempt to “Americanize” Native American children. Americans believed that it was easier to manipulate children than older Indians.
Furthermore, assimilation and acculturation was the goal of the boarding schools to make them forget their language, culture, traditions and to forget their Native American ways and to learn the white American ways and practices. The boarding schools achieved these goals by changing their images. In the boarding schools, the Native American’s hair were cut and they would be dresses like an American to change their appearance. Cutting their hair was a sign of mourning/grief. They were taught English and table manners of white Americans so they could be able to eat like white people.
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The Native American children learned individualism and that if they wanted to succeed and be able to compete with American people they had to practice individualism. They were told that they were not responsible for their tribe, community and family anymore, but instead they should only look out for themselves. Another thing that was changed was their spirituality for the introduction of religion. They were shown religious values, Christianity, how to be a protestant and the concept of sin. In the boarding schools, they also had a regiment school schedule where they had to follow the rules. Native American children learned how to trade, work and make different