The Native American Assimilation

     The U.S government wanted the Native Americans to assimilate or become like them.

They thought of the Native Americans as less educated, savages and uncivilized just because they had a totally different culture and religion. The government obligated the Native Americans to change their way a life, religion, and culture. The following essay will describe how the U.S government obligated the Native Americans to assimilate.

     The Native American culture was totally different from that of the white Americans.

They believed in medicine men, didn’t have schools, believed land could not be owned, sold or bought and didn’t have a government, law and order. Indians didn’t want to sell their land the government though the best way of dealing with the Indians was to turn them into ''civilized'' Christian farmers. The U.S government obligated the Indians to convert to Christianity, mad them learn English, dress like a white American and to adapt to a whole new culture.

      The U.S government went totally against the Ghost Dance Religion of the Native American. This religion was the belief that the earth will perish and then come alive again in a pure stage were only the Indians will ruled including the dead. The government was alarmed a thought the Indians will do something to get ride of the white Americans. In December 1890 the Ghost Dance religious was banned. This goes totally against the first amendment which prohibits the making of any law “respecting an establishment of religion",

   Not many Indians were happy with the prohibition of the religion and they started rites in Pine Ridge and other reservations. The white officials soon got involved and sent military troops to the reservations. This only made the situation worst the Native Americans started to send messages to other tribes to join but this ended in failure. In December 29 1890 the Wounded Knee massacre occurred many Native Americans were killed.

   In conclusion the white Americans wanted the Native Americans to change their ways of life, they’re culture and religion. They obligated the Indians to convert to Christianity, dress like a white american , go to school, change their name to a Cristian name and learn english. This most haved been hard since the native American had to adapt to a new completely different culture and blend in with the white american society .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Americanization_of_Native_Americans

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