Explain at least two ways that the American government attempted to assimilate Native Americans through a system called “Americanization.”

Question

3-5 sentences.

Answer 1

The American government employed several strategies to assimilate Native Americans through a system called "Americanization." One prominent method was the establishment of Indian boarding schools, where Native American children were removed from their families and communities to be educated in Euro-American customs, language, and religion, often under harsh conditions designed to erase their native cultures. Additionally, the Dawes Act of 1887 aimed to break up tribal landholdings by allotting individual plots to Native American families, promoting private land ownership and agricultural practices that aligned more closely with American ideals, while undermining communal land use traditions. These efforts were part of a broader agenda to integrate Native Americans into mainstream American society and diminish their cultural identities.