Final answer:
During the Gilded Age, Native American Indians were viewed as uncivilized by many Americans, resulting in policies that pushed for their assimilation into American culture, often at the expense of their traditional ways of life.
Step-by-step explanation:
During the Gilded Age, many 'civilized' Americans viewed Native American Indians through a lens of stereotypes, seeing them as 'uncivilized,' 'barbaric,' and 'heathen.' Influenced by these perceptions, government and societal efforts were directed towards an Americanization policy, which emphasized individual land ownership, Christian worship, and education in an effort to assimilate Native Americans into American society. This policy also entailed stripping away Native Americans' cultural identities and traditions, such as their communal use of land, religious practices, and language. Figures like Helen Hunt Jackson and Progressive Era reformers began to criticize the violence and negative predicaments natives faced, urging for a revision in the way Native Americans were treated.