In the late 1800s, reformers who aimed to help Native Americans primarily focused on assimilation and integration into mainstream American society. The key goals included:
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Cultural Assimilation: Reformers believed that Native Americans should adopt Western customs, languages, and lifestyles. This was often framed as a means of "civilizing" indigenous populations.
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Education: Many reformers advocated for the establishment of boarding schools for Native American children, where they could be taught English and Christian values, while being separated from their families and cultures.
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Land Ownership: The reformers promoted the idea of individual land ownership through initiatives like the Dawes Act of 1887, which aimed to break up communal tribal land into individual plots. This was intended to encourage farming and integrate Native Americans into the agrarian economy.
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Economic Self-Sufficiency: Reformers wanted to promote economic independence through agriculture and trades, believing that success in these areas would help assimilate Native Americans into American society.
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Legal Rights: Some reformers sought to improve the legal status of Native Americans and advocated for rights that would protect them within the U.S. legal system, although this often meant pushing for policies that favored assimilation.
Despite these intentions, many of these reform efforts were paternalistic and ultimately detrimental, contributing to the loss of Native cultures, languages, and communal ways of life. The legacy of such policies was complex and often harmful to Native American communities.