Final answer:
The Dawes Act of 1887, the establishment of boarding schools for Native American children, such as the Carlisle Indian School, and the termination policy of the 1950s were significant congressional efforts aimed at assimilating Native Americans into American society.
Step-by-step explanation:
One significant effort by Congress to accelerate the process of Native American assimilation was through the Dawes Act of 1887. This law aimed to encourage assimilation by authorizing the government to subdivide communal Native American lands into individual family plots, effectively ending the communal holding of land. The surplus lands were transferred to the federal government, often leading to the opening of these lands for settlement by non-Native Americans. While the intent behind the Dawes Act was the assimilation of Native Americans into American society by promoting individual property ownership and agriculture practices, it also resulted in significant loss of tribal lands and disruption of traditional Native American ways of life.
Additionally, the creation of boarding schools such as the Carlisle Indian School was another federal initiative aimed at assimilating Native American children. These schools took children from their families, aiming to replace their native languages, traditions, and social customs with Euro-American practices through education and vocational training. While advertised as beneficial, these schools often represented an enduring effort to erode Native American cultural identity.The policy of termination introduced in the 1950s also sought to assimilate Native Americans by ending federal recognition of certain tribes, withdrawing support for reservations, and pushing for Native Americans to become part of mainstream American life. The termination policy led to considerable hardship among affected tribes and was eventually countered by new programs fostering Native American self-governance and cultural revitalization.