Native Youth Genocide

Genocide, the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group (Dictionary). This is a topic that is discussed many times in class as it was often the main goal settlers of North America were trying to accomplish. There were many methods of genocide white settlers committed, one in particular was boarding schools. Richard Henry Pratt viewed the Natives as people, and had good intentions for them. Although he may have had good intentions they weren’t always perceived that way. “Kill the Indian, save the man,” that was what he did by admitting the native children into boarding schools. Many things that occurred in these boarding schools would be considered acts of genocide that left significant damage
Crimes committed to feed addictions led to incarceration. The Native incarceration rate is nearly 40% higher than the national average. Children didn’t learn positive ways to cope. Native youth suicide is at more than three times the national average (reservation communities experience ten times the national rate)” (EDF). There are less straight forward ways how Native American children are doing in schools today as well, high dropout rate, lowest graduation rates, and terrible test scores. The effects are catastrophic and still persist, it’s amazing how much damage boarding schools had in the native community, but it doesn’t just affect the native community, it affects all of us as human beings. To harm another person in a sense is to harm one’s self. We are a community and are one race, the human race, and like how the Dakota people and many other natives practice we should treat each other like fellow brothers and sisters. It’s disheartening to know the truth about these boarding schools only now when they should have been addressed in elementary. I believe the history of boarding schools should be taught in K-12 US schools. It is an important part of our history that should get the children stimulated on how to treat others who are different from them, and find solutions to live together in harmony. Masking the truth from kids, and painting a different picture instead avoids the issue, and creates a lack of empathy from a group of people that were heavily mistreated. People grow up thinking Natives should stop moping around, and “mooching” off the government because they weren’t well informed about the history of the land they live on. So I reiterate that history such as this should be mandatory and taught in all k – 12 schools in the