Looking at the United States of America from the ethnical point of view it is impossible to avoid the fact that this country is inhabited by different peoples. Considering the history of the USA it is possible to come across some policies which were aimed at assimilating those peoples to the American standards and beliefs. Looking at modern America and people who live there it is possible to conclude that the process of assimilation of Indian tribes was not really successful.
The problem of racial discrimination was a real disaster for the country, but due to the laws, norms, and punishments for those who continued to discriminate other nationalities the problem was eliminated. The main purpose of this paper is to discuss the policies “Civilizing”, “Boarding schools”, “Dawes Act”, and “Indian Reorganization Act”, to consider how they directly or indirectly supported the goal of assimilation, and state why assimilation did not work despite all those attempts.
To consider the problem properly, the four policies and acts should be discussed in detail. “Dawes Act” aimed to make Americans recognize Indian tribes as the citizens of the country. The main idea of this act was to ruin the reservations Indians lived in and assimilate those to the Americans.
The methods the government used were not effective. The Congress stated in their act from 1887 that all Indian tribes in reservations had to be given lands for farming. The act predicted that Indians would use those lands for farming and in some years they would be ‘Americanized’. The main failure of the act was that Indians were neither given equipment for farming nor they were taught to farm. The idea was left unrealized (“Dawes Act”).
The “Indian Reorganization Act” from 1934 was more successful as it returned Indians some rules and rights to use their lands according to their will. Still, the US government obliged tribes to be accounted for their political actions. This act made it impossible for Indian tries to remain independent from the political point of view.
Furthermore, the act prohibited Indians to sell their lands to others. Considering this act from the point of view of the assimilation of Indians to Americans, it was not really successful. Indians remained to live in their reservations and used their lands as they wanted. No one made them use the rules of conduct the Americans did. Only political sphere was restricted, but nothing was imposed in reality (“The Indian Reorganization Act”).
Considering the “Civilization” policy, it is possible to state that this attempt to assimilate Indians to American citizens was the most reasonable. The main idea of that policy was to make Indians give up their hunting customs and become more civilized. They had to learn to read and write in English, they had to wear common for Americans clothes, they also had to become Christians and use farming as the main source for living.
Moreover, Indians had to become republicans and learn to think as Americans did. Those who refused to follow the “Civilization” policy were told that they were not individuals and their existence was going to finish soon. “‘Civilization’ was the perfect policy: it benefited both the Indians and the United States” (Perdue and Green 25).
To show that the government was friendly tailored, they promised to recognize the sovereignty of the tribes, to conduct trade negotiations and to help Indians transform from hunters into farmers by means of providing those with necessary tools and equipment (Perdue and Green 27).
Considering the “Boarding schools” policy, it should be mentioned that the main idea of it was that “boating school education, which removed young children from the tribal environment, would ‘civilize’ and prepare Indians for citizenship while providing them with a practical, vocational education” (Child 13). The authorities believed that Indian children, who appeared in the civilized society and were taught different sciences, would never want to return to their tribes where their knowledge may never be applied.
These actions succeeded as many Indians moved to new urban regions after graduating from boating schools. Still, Indians tried to resist by numerous facilities (continue education in reservations, escape from boating schools). Furthermore, diseases which affected the tribes were great motivators for youth to go to schools out of reservations. The wide spread of the diseases was possible due to improper heath care (Child 15).
One of the main conclusions which can be made after all the acts and policies have been discussed is that they did not succeed absolutely. Some of the policies failed, others were more successful, but the existence of Indian reservations on the territory of the United States of America for now proves that the government of the country failed to assimilate tribes, failed to “civilize” them totally. Considering the modern society, it is possible to conclude that Americans do not care greatly of those tribes and do not want to assimilate those.
Still, a thorough research make it necessary to answer the following question: Do people really ignore the problem of ethnics and origin of others? No, this is not true. Even living in the world where racial discrimination is prohibited and is not a core characteristic of a person people still care of their nationality. It is impossible to answer the question why it happens fully, but it is possible to explain the tendency.
According to Doing Race: 21 Essays for the 21st Century by Paula M. L. Moya and Hazel Rose Markus, people still care of ethnics as this helps them understand who they are in the relation to the whole society. It is impossible to reject that people have never tried to identify themselves in this big world.
The book under discussion imposes that people usually want to answer two questions “Who am I?” and “Who are we?” (Moya and Markus 406). People usually want to identify themselves in order to find their place in this world. One of the main values of this piece of writing is that the author states that it is race and ethnics that organizes this modern society. The authors also state that ethnics and race does not show who people are, they would rather state what they do (Moya and Markus 407).
Ethnics and origin is a problem that really matters for people. The first example in the book by Ronald Takaki proves it. Americans usually look with suspiciousness on those people who do not belong to their racial group. The problem of multiculturalism is the main problem that should be considered within the problem of racial identity. The author of the book was born in the USA and has been living there for all his life, but he has been always considered to be a foreigner due to his appearance (Takaki 2).
Returning to the problem of policies and acts which were aimed at assimilating Indian tribes to the Americans, it is possible to assume that the difference in appearance have always been considered as the main barrier on the way to Indians’ assimilation. People usually care of appearance.
The differences in the features have always been crucial for people. Even if Indians had managed to assimilate to such extent that they could read and write English, even if they had managed to give up hunting and began to master farming, even if they had worn casual clothes for Americans they would have never been accepted by them. It has been historically established that Americans care greatly of their national features.
The problem of racial discrimination has been really sharp in this country, so it is impossible to imagine that assimilation could have been wholly considered. This is like the example by Ronald Takaki, who having lived in the country for the whole life was still accepted as a foreigner due to his characteristic features of the appearance (Takaki 2).
Furthermore, people always remember their origin; they try not to forget their roots. Even those Indians who partially assimilated and came to cities after boating schools or developed farming skills and became to trade with the US having forgotten about hunting still remained Indians in their hearts. Those youths who graduated from boating schools and continued their education still had parents and relatives in their tribes and even the fear of diseases could not be the reasons to make them forget.
Patriotism is the feeling which remains inherent in all nations. People remember their roots and do not want to acquire other customs and traditions contrary to their native ones. This is one more reason why the attempts of the US government to assimilate Indians failed. Neither educational opportunities nor the offers for better life influenced Indians. The American patriotic feelings should be also taken into account.
It was the government who desired to assimilate Indians. Were Americans asked whether they wanted to call Indians their brothers? This was one more problem why Indians could not be assimilated. The problem of racial discrimination was rather burning in the times when the acts and policies under consideration were applied. American society was not ready to accept Indians.
Thus, it may be concluded that there were several reasons why the acts and policies directed at assimilation were not effective. First of all, “Dawes Act” was failing as the whole process was not considered up to the end and Indians did not have an opportunity to assimilate. Secondly, “Indian Reorganization Act” was better, but still Indians were not encouraged to become assimilated as they were put in the conditions natural for them and the restrictions in the political life did not play great role.
Thirdly, “Civilization” policy was a good step on the way to Indians’ assimilation, but still, the tribes were not motivated, nether positively nor negatively. “Civilization” policy in the combination with “Boating school” policy was the best attempt to assimilate Indians.
On the one hand, Indians were positively motivated to leave their homes and become educated. On the other hand, Indians wanted to leave their homes because diseases affected their tribes. Still, racial differences and the prejudices in the relation to nationality remained and Americans do not consider Indians as equal.
Works Cited
Child, Brenda J. Boarding School Seasons: American Indian Families, 1900-1940. U of Nebraska Press, 2000. Print.
“Dawes Act.” 8 Feb. 1887. Web.
Markus, Hazel Rose and Paula M. L. Moya. Doing Race: 21 Essays for the 21st Century. W. W. Norton & Company, Incorporated, 2010. Print.
Perdue, Theda and Michael D. Green. The Cherokee Nation and the Trail of Tears. Viking, 2007. Print.
Takaki, Ronald T. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America. Back Bay Books/Little, Brown, and Co., 2008. Print.
“The Indian Reorganization Act (Wheeler-Howard Act).” 18 Jun. 1934. Web.