Question

When the Indian peoples were forced onto reservations, the U.S. government had certain expectations for them to assimilate into American culture. Identify and explain one of these expectations.

A) Embracing Christianity and attending church services regularly.
B) Learning advanced calculus and trigonometry.
C) Establishing profitable businesses on the reservations.
D) Mastering the art of oil painting.

Answer 1

The U.S. government expected Native Americans on reservations to embrace Christianity as part of their cultural assimilation policy, which included the broader goal of integrating Native practices with American values and lifestyles.

Step-by-step explanation:

When the Indian peoples were forced onto reservations, one expectation the U.S. government had for them to assimilate into American culture was embracing Christianity and attending church services regularly. This policy was part of a larger effort that included sending Native American children to boarding schools to ensure they would speak English and abandon their traditional cultures. These schools were run by both the government and Christian missionaries and were designed to replace Native American cultural identities with Euro-American customs, language, and Christian religions. The broader goal was to assimilate Native Americans into the prevailing American way of life, which included a shift from a communal society to one embracing individual land ownership and farming, seeking to transform the cultural and economic practices of Native peoples to align with American values and lifestyles.