Residential Schools Case Study

For decades in Canada, officially beginning in 1892, children were taken away from their families and put into schools that would change and take away their views and beliefs, initial knowledge, image, and identity. In the earlier stages, these schools were referred to as Industrial Schools for Indians. Today, we call them Residential Schools with Aboriginal survivors who are able to tell their stories. Aboriginal people suffered while there schools were running. This essay will compare the knowledge in a recent article to primary sources that were written while Industrial Schools were in action. The actions of assimilating Aboriginal people through a strict form of education caused a negative butterfly effect upon the public and Aboriginal population. This act was run by the Canadian government and churches as an act of assimilation through education. The school system performed strict forms of discipline towards the Aboriginal children to civilize them to live through the dominant culture. The method of assimilation was unsuccessful, Aboriginal people …show more content…
The primary sources showed a great difference in many aspects compared to the secondary source by Neeganagwedgin. Throughout both of the primary sources, there was a positive outlook towards Industrial Schools. Whereas, Neeganagwedgin showed the negative impact the Residential Schools had on the Aboriginal population and culture. The entry by Baird focused mainly on religious positives, while the report by Davin focused on the positively towards civilizing Aboriginal children. These pieces showed how undermined and disrespected the abilities and culture of Aboriginals were. Nor Davin or Baird spoke about the harsh and strict treatment that Aboriginal people received by taking their children away without consent, or how the students were treated at these