Americanization policies of the United States
excerpts from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Boarding_Schoolhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Boarding_School
Americanization refers to the policies of the United States government and public opinion that there is a standard set of cultural values that should be held in common by all citizens. Education was and is viewed as the primary method in the acculturation process. These opinions were harshly applied when it came to Americanization of Native Americans compared to immigrant populations who arrived with their "non-American traditions".
The Americanization policies said that when indigenous people learned American customs and values they would soon merge tribal traditions with Euro-American culture and peacefully melt into the greater society. For example in the 1800's and early 1900's, traditional religious ceremonies were outlawed and it was mandatory for children to attend English speaking boarding schools where native languages and cultural traditions were forbidden. The Dawes Act of 1887, which allotted tribal lands to individuals and resulted in an estimated total of 93 million acres leaving Native American hands and The Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 were also part of these policies.
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[edit] Europeans and Native Americans in North America, 1601-1776
Eastern North America; the 1763 "Proclamation line" is the border between the red and the pink areas.In the conflicting expansions of European powers in North America, Native American tribes were often used as auxiliaries by England, France and Spain. In order secure the help of the tribes, the Europeans would offer goods and sign treaties that promised those tribes the victorious power would honor those tribes traditional lands. Various Native American tribes took part in King William's War (1689–1697), Dummer's War (c. 1721-1725), and the French and Indian War (1754–1763).
After the French and Indian War, Britain instituted the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which established a boundary separating the Native American country from that of the Anglo-American community. This line, however, moved continuously westward as the community expanded. This movement, was accomplished via treaties ensured by the threat, or use, of force.
For Further Information see European colonization of the Americas.
[edit] The United States and Native Americans, 1776-1860
The struggle for empire in North America caused the United States in its earliest years to adopt an Indian policy similar to the one devised by Great Britain in colonial times.[3] They realized that good relations with bordering tribes were important for political and trading reasons, but as had the British, they reserved the right to abandon these good relations to absorb the lands of their enemies and allies alike as the agricultural frontier moved west. The United States continued the use of Native Americans as allies, including during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. As relations with England and Spain normalized during the early 1800s, the need for such friendly relations ended. It was no longer necessary to woo the tribes to prevent the other powers from using them against the United States. Now, instead of a buffer against other "civilized" foes, the tribes often became viewed as an obstacle in the expansion of the United States.