ive American children from their families (Reyhner & Eder, 1989; Reyhner, 1992; Adams, 1995).
Apart from the establishment of non-reservation boarding schools, the government also financed government day schools that were established on the reservations during the 1880s. The objective of the day schools was to prepare young children to attend non-reservation boarding schools. However, policymakers were not impressed with day schools because they could not be as effective in assimilating the Native American children. The non-reservation boarding schools were regarded as the most effective solution and the one that exerted the most significant impact in the education of the Native American children (Reyhner, 1992).
In 1879, Col. Richard Henry Pratt, the most well-known founder of Native American education, established the Carlisle Indian Industrial School--the first non-reservation boarding school in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, dedicated solely to the education of Native Americans. This school would set the standard for other non-reservation schools that replicated its instructional methods and rigorous discipline. Implementing a policy of complete assimilation similar to the Hampton Institute that educated African Americans and a minority of Indians, Pratt imposed a series of rigorous regulations with the intention of severing the Native American students' cultural connections to their culture. The strict organization of the schedule of the day and the academic and occupational tasks were designed to impose military discipline on the students, thus undermining disruptive behavior and excessive socialization between one another. All students were required to wear uniforms. The boys' long hair was cut. Students were given Western names. Both the boys and girls were given occupational training based on gender. While boys acquired skills in carpentry, blacksmithing, shoemaking and farming, the girls were taught to sew, cook a...