This week we focused almost completely on the Native Americans. We learned of the three forms of Americanization that the Indians were put through. However the most interesting topic for me were the schools. I was intrigued by what these young children endured for their tribes. Both of the children that we read about had agreed to go to these schools for the sake of courage.
Why do you think "courage" was such a big deal for these children? The second most interesting thing that shocked me was how brutal the Indian wars were. Mr. Hoffman mentioned that American soldiers fired on Indians even though they were holding white flags. This confused me, because America had abolished slavery, hinting that America wants peace. However the Indians were brutally murdered. The least important act of Americanization were the treaties. From the beginning I had already guessed that the treaties would not work for many reasons. One of the reasons was that the treaty was only for the Sioux tribe. This must have caused some trouble for the other tribes.
Which of the three acts of Americanization was the most interesting to you?
I think that courage was really important for these children because the idea of being a brave warrior of their tribes, was ingrained in their mind. The fact that their hair got sheared off when they went to these schools was destroying their heritages and their history. The most imteresting act of Americanization to me, was the act of making treaties. The Americans made many different types of treaties, with many peoples, but they were not really honored. Like you said, the personalization of the treaties, may have been a cause of their failures, but it was also the lack of understanding and accepting another culture's way of life.
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