The Saint Paul Globe. (St. Paul, Minn.), 20 Dec. 1903. Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress. https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn90059523/1903-12-20/ed-1/seq-38/
This primary source document provides a historical context for the existing bias, demonstrates the practice of Indian removal, outlines examples of environmental injustice, and perpetuates a lack of respect for the cultural and traditional importance of various Native American cultural groups. It is a clear example of governmental control over a cultural group and their natural environment.
This source provides students with a wealth of knowledge about how certain Native American cultural groups lived at the turn of the twentieth century and the lengths that the government and the press went to in criticizing and ostracizing Native American ways of living in order to achieve societal conformity.
The newspaper story paints a vivid picture of Indian Boarding Schools and the irreparable damage they did to Native American children. These schools spoke of “passing” for white as being socially desirable and used racial slurs to refer to Native Americans in general.
This article is a prima facie example of Manifest Destiny at the end of the Progressive Era. It paints a clear picture of the agenda and goals that white America had to dominate and erase Native Americans. The plan was to assimilate or annihilate Native American cultures. It more importantly represents passive-aggressive resistance to such measures. The Chippewa refused to send their children to government-funded schools because they clearly understood the government's agenda.
- At the turn of the century, westward expansion displaced large numbers of Native Americans from their ancestral lands, particularly in Minnesota. Prior to 1850, Native Americans were the majority cultural groups in the region. This changed after 1862 and continued as westward expansion increased. The policy became one of kill, displace, or assimilate.
- In the late nineteenth century, persistent conflict was seen as extremely costly. As expansion continued, there was no more land to move Native Americans to, so the policy became to assimilate Native Americans into white or European culture through boarding schools and cultural erasure. The white press was pivotal in swaying communities to support this assimilation process. This newspaper article discusses the progress of assimilation of each Native cultural group in Minnesota.
- After reading the newspaper article, what are your thoughts about the author of the piece?
- If you could have a conversation with the author, what would you like to say to him about his portrayal of the cultural groups he details in his article?
- How would you identify journalistic bias, and what instances does the author provide for the reader?
- How would such an article be received in the media today if it were written about any cultural group in America?
- What is ironic about the article?
- How does the article provide a window into the historic past of this region of the country?
Common Core State Standards
RH.11-12.1: Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources, connecting insights gained from specific details to an understanding of the text as a whole.
- Educators can use this text to provide insights into the practice of Manifest Destiny and how the media was an integral part of shaping the national narrative.
RH.11-12.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary that makes clear the relationships among the key details and ideas.
- Educators can use this article to teach about propaganda and its effectiveness in creating community bias.
RH.11-12.3: Evaluate various explanations for actions or events and determine which explanation best accords with textual evidence, acknowledging where the text leaves matters uncertain.
- This is best determined through class discussions.
RH.11-12.8: Evaluate an author's premises, claims, and evidence by corroborating or challenging them with other information.
- Educators can have students work in small groups, pairs, or individually annotating sections of the article to determine the author’s point of view, audience, veracity, and basis for the claims asserted in the article.
RH.11-12.9: Integrate information from diverse sources, both primary and secondary, into a coherent understanding of an idea or event, noting discrepancies among sources.
- Educators can have students conduct further research from multiple sources, particularly Native American scholars, on their point of view regarding assimilation into dominant American culture by force.
- This is such a volatile article that teacher scaffolding is recommended. This article should be read and discussed together as a class initially. After discussion, have students break into small groups to dissect the various parts that are problematic; it is important to teach students how to identify what is factual and what is the author’s opinion. Facing History has a lesson that will provide guidance on this.
- Write an opinion piece as a class refuting much, if not all, of what has been written in the article about the various cultural groups. Use research to accomplish this, and perhaps interview student members of each group to ascertain their views on the article written about them as a collective cultural group. PBS has a tool for how to produce a fact-check video.
- Have students research the long-term effects of forced assimilation, and have students write their own newspaper article challenging the newspaper’s reporting.
- At the time of this article, cultural identity and intersectionality had not been discussed nor had various ethnic groups evolved into using direct action, non-violent political protest to resist assimilation into the white cultural norms. This could be a difficult topic for some communities, especially due to the recent stories of burial grounds discovered at many of these boarding school sites. Some communities may not want to discuss this in schools, and districts should make the best decision to reflect community expectations.
Links to resources for approaching those topics
- The History Channel has resources to give an historical look at what took place in these schools and may help further discussion on the topic.
- http://carceralcolonialism.cla.umn.edu/web/projects/boardingschool2prison/
- Presents a factual account of the adverse impact of the long-term governmental policies of Native American erasure.
- https://nativegov.org/resources/
- Provides Native American perspective on their history.
- https://illuminative.org/resources/
- This Native American advocacy group website provides an alternative perspective and overview of their history.
- https://teachnativehistories.umass.edu/: This link provides a wide range of Lessons Plans that focus on decolonizing Native American History. The Lesson Plans are written by educators from across the country for grades K-12.