Deck 6: Diversity and Equity: Schooling and African Americans

Question 1

Explain how U.S. policy toward Native American education may be seen as part of a larger cultural, social, and economic conflict between Native Americans and the dominant white culture.

Answer 1

U.S. policy toward Native American education has historically been a tool for assimilation and acculturation into the dominant white culture. From the late 19th century through the mid-20th century, the U.S. government operated boarding schools that aimed to "kill the Indian, and save the man" by forcibly removing Native American children from their families and communities, and erasing their cultural and linguistic identities.

This policy was part of a larger cultural, social, and economic conflict between Native Americans and the dominant white culture, as it sought to disrupt traditional Native American ways of life and force assimilation into mainstream American society. The dominant white culture viewed Native American cultural practices, languages, and beliefs as inferior and sought to replace them with Eurocentric norms and values.

Furthermore, U.S. policy toward Native American education has also been influenced by economic interests, as the government aimed to "civilize" Native Americans in order to facilitate the takeover of their lands and resources. By undermining traditional Native American cultures and education systems, the U.S. government sought to weaken the collective identity and resistance of Native American communities, making it easier to exploit their lands and resources for economic gain.

In this way, U.S. policy toward Native American education can be seen as a tool of cultural, social, and economic domination, perpetuating a longstanding conflict between Native Americans and the dominant white culture. This history of forced assimilation and cultural erasure continues to impact Native American communities today, as they continue to fight for the preservation of their cultural identities and educational sovereignty.

Question 2

Show how the educational policy of the Bureau of Indian Affairs during the 1930s-1940s may be considered "progressive."

Answer 2

The educational policy of the Bureau of Indian Affairs during the 1930s-1940s may be considered "progressive" for several reasons.

First, during this time period, the Bureau of Indian Affairs began to shift away from the policy of assimilation and towards a more culturally sensitive approach to education for Native American students. This shift was in part due to the influence of progressive education reformers who emphasized the importance of respecting and preserving indigenous cultures and languages. The Bureau began to incorporate more Native American history, culture, and language into the curriculum, recognizing the value of preserving and honoring these aspects of Native American identity.

Additionally, the Bureau of Indian Affairs also began to focus on improving the quality of education provided to Native American students. They invested in building new schools, hiring more qualified teachers, and providing better resources and facilities for students. This investment in education was a progressive move towards ensuring that Native American students had access to the same quality of education as their non-Native peers.

Furthermore, the Bureau also began to involve Native American communities more in the decision-making process regarding education. They sought input from tribal leaders, parents, and community members, recognizing the importance of including their perspectives and expertise in shaping educational policies that would best serve the needs of Native American students.

Overall, the educational policy of the Bureau of Indian Affairs during the 1930s-1940s can be considered "progressive" because it marked a shift towards a more culturally sensitive, higher quality, and community-inclusive approach to education for Native American students.

Question 3

Helen Hunt Jackson's book A Century of Dishonor describes U.S. relations with Native American people during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Indicate why this characterization might also be
an appropriate designation for U.S. policy regarding Native American education during the twentieth century.

Answer 3

A Century of Dishonor by Helen Hunt Jackson describes the mistreatment and broken promises made by the U.S. government towards Native American people during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This characterization is also an appropriate designation for U.S. policy regarding Native American education during the twentieth century because it reflects the ongoing pattern of neglect, discrimination, and cultural assimilation forced upon Native American children in the education system.

Throughout the twentieth century, Native American children were often forced to attend boarding schools that were designed to strip them of their cultural identity and assimilate them into mainstream American society. These schools were often underfunded, overcrowded, and provided subpar education, leading to high dropout rates and limited opportunities for Native American students. Additionally, the curriculum and policies of these schools actively sought to eradicate Native American languages, traditions, and customs, further perpetuating the century-long disregard for the rights and well-being of Native American people.

The parallels between the U.S. government's treatment of Native American people in A Century of Dishonor and its policies regarding Native American education during the twentieth century are striking. Both demonstrate a consistent failure to uphold promises and respect the sovereignty and cultural heritage of Native American communities, leading to long-lasting and detrimental effects on their well-being and opportunities for success. Therefore, the designation of "A Century of Dishonor" is equally fitting for U.S. policy regarding Native American education during the twentieth century.

Question 4

Compare and contrast the treatment of African-American education and Native American education from the end of the Civil War into the twentieth century. What are some of the important similarities and differences? Do these provide any understanding of why African-Americans were able to maintain quality schooling for their children throughout the worst times, and Native Americans have found this more difficult? What have been the implications for schooling for these populations today?

Question 5

This chapter addressed the issues of "cultural pluralism" (valuing and maintaining cultural and linguistic differences within a society) versus "assimilation." What are these two concepts? How can understanding these concepts impact how we think about education and marginalized groups within contemporary society?

Question 6

Of the following, which might best be included in the concept of pluralism?

A) All groups should live as they choose.
B) Some differences among groups are tolerated.
C) Differences and interactions among groups are perceived as positive cultural resources for all groups.
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 7

Assimilation for Native Americans differs from assimilation of the Irish and other European groups in that

A) Native Americans were expected to assimilate into the invading culture.
B) non-Native Americans had the advantage of accommodating to a culture very similar to their own.
C) Irish and other European groups could resist assimilation by returning home.
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 8

The BIA's and others' educational attempts to assimilate Native Americans resulted in

A) loss of cultural identity by Native Americans.
B) legal protection of Native American cultures.
C) legal restriction of Native American cultures.
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 9

Why did Indians become less important to trade in the eighteenth century than they were earlier?

A) The dominant culture had more interest in manufactured goods than in Indian-made ones.
B) The Indians had fewer material goods to trade.
C) There were fewer Indians with whom to trade.
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 10

The status of the "protected" nation is grounded in

A) paternalism.
B) ethnocentrism.
C) the limited opportunity of the protected to defend their own interests.
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 11

Beatty's educational view most resembles the approach of which of the following individuals?

A) W. E. B. Du Bois
B) Booker T. Washington
C) John Dewey
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 12

Collier's attention to the "individual unconsciousness" of the Indian child is grounded in

A) faculty psychology.
B) the Old Testament.
C) new psychology.
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 13

According to Collier, what has/have been the aim(s) of Indian service?

A) to convert the American Indians to Christianity
B) to help the American Indians preserve their culture
C) to make go-getters of Indians
D) both to convert the American Indians to Christianity, and to make go-getters of Indians

Question 14

John Collier was a(n)

A) advocate for African-American rights.
B) social reformer who has had the greatest impact on the Indian service.
C) supporter of forced assimilation of Indians into American culture.
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 15

From the 1930s to the 1940s, the growth of Indian boarding schools decreased, while the public schools increased, because

A) the boarding schools were viewed as needlessly harsh.
B) boarding schools were inconsistent with the progressive principles of scientific management of schools.
C) boarding schools were a moral embarrassment.
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 16

"Manifest destiny" is a term used by John L. O'Sullivan to describe

A) American justification for subduing all native cultures on the continent.
B) Indians' belief that to be civilized was to live in harmony with the environment.
C) a "God-given duty to civilize Indians."
D) both American justification for subduing all native cultures on the continent, and a "God-given duty to civilize Indians."

Question 17

Education is often understood to refer to

A) socialization training for positions in the dominant culture.
B) a means for solving social issues such as illiteracy and poverty.
C) a vehicle for the economic growth of a society.
D) All these answers are correct.

Question 18

Navaho educator Ethelou Yazzie's main concern for Indian education is

A) to establish bi-cultural education.
B) to humanely replace Native American identity with Euro-American identity.
C) to reduce the community control of Indian schools in favor of greater cooperation with the U.S. government.
D) to both establish bi-cultural education and humanely replace Native American identity with Euro-American identity.