Lesson 3 Quiz

The federal government of the United States initiated its obligation to the education of American Indian tribes as early as the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and legally reaffirmed that obligation in numerous treaty agreements thereafter.

The United States Constitution, and the process of negotiating and ratifying individual treaties, stripped American Indian tribes of their sovereignty and their legal right to govern themselves.

Many treaties allocated education funding based upon the number of students who could be “induced or compelled” to attend, establishing an incentive for abusive practices by parochial providers and federal agents.

Prior to the 1870s, education to the tribes was typically provided through funding to religious and missionary organizations; few tribes were able to negotiate direct control over their own schools and promised educational funds.

Many treaties included vague or misleading language, which was misunderstood or misinterpreted by the tribes (who in many cases were either illiterate or only marginally literate when the treaties were negotiated).

Many of the treaty provisions relating to education were not honored by the federal government, even though the provisions were a debt/obligation in exchange for land cessions and not a gratuity.

The inclusion of educational provisions in treaties was often at the request of the tribes, rather than at the suggestion or insistence of the federal government.

Over time, the tribes demonstrated an increasing understanding of the necessity of European education to their continued survival.

Over time, the tribes demonstrated an increasing understanding of the necessity of relinquishing control over their educational funds and educational systems to the federal government.

Over time, the tribes demonstrated an increasing understanding of the necessity of their schools being located off of the reservations, and often at a very great distance from their villages.