Under the management of Thomas L McKenney, the Office of Indian Affairs became the staging area for a bold social experiment. Maintaining the long held tradition of treating native tribes as sovereign nations, the Office of Indian Affairs initiated and oversaw the implementation of a series of government sponsored programs meant to transform these communities into American dependencies. Like many in the government, McKenney adhered to the belief that Indian tribes would be more amiable if they could be augmented socially, economically, and politically. Once augmented, these communities could be absorbed into the United States. This could be accomplished through a series of reforms aimed at bringing native communities in line with American agricultural, social, and religious practices--a policy known as assimilation. For some, assimilation represented the natural progression of the American experiment--the blending of distinct cultures into a more homogeneous society. For others, it was a concentrated effort to supplant Indian culture. This policy has often been referred to as, “kill the Indian, save the man.”
History of Assimilation
Assimilation was hardly an abstract concept in 1824. In fact, settlers had been trying to instill European ideals (particularly Christianity) on native tribes since the establishment of Jamestown. Throughout his presidency, George Washington wrote of the need to “civilize” native tribes in order to make them more docile. In addition to negotiating trade deals with native tribes, agents of the Office of Indian Trade often interacted with Indian communities surrounding their territories. They were part of a growing effort to influence the cultural development of Indian nations. These efforts, however, were largely unsuccessful. In the early years of the Office of Indian Affairs, government officials debated the best way to deal with what was clandestinely referred to as the “Indian Problem.” Some feared the dangers of so many tribes situated in such close proximity to the rapidly expanding new nation. Memories of past border skirmishes and full scale wars (such as Little Turtle’s resistance in Ohio) still influenced many within the American government. Assimilation was viewed as the best way to ensure that native tribes would keep the peace.
Components of Assimilation
The underlying objective of assimilation was to supplant Indian culture and facilitate the integration of native communities into the United States. The first stage of federal assimilation policy was to begin negotiations for the removal of Indian tribes to designated lands that had been specifically “reserved“ for their use--the reservation system. In order to expand without encroaching on native lands, the government sought to move the native population to unexplored western lands. In his capacity as superintendent of Indian Trade, Thomas McKenney supervised federal agents whose primary responsibility was to negotiate trade contracts with native tribes. Under the Office of Indian Affairs, these “Indian Agents” negotiated treaties with native tribes that exchanged their lands along the borders of the United States for lands in Indian Country--lands that were held in trust by the federal government. These negotiations went hand in hand with another aspect of assimilation, indoctrination.
Sources:
Mark M. Boatner III, Encyclopedia of the American Revolution. (Mechanicsburg: Stackpole Books, 1994).
Mark C Carnes, Ed. U.S. History. (New York: MacMillan Library Reference, 1998).
Marilyn Miller and Martin Faux, American History Desk Reference. (New York: MacMillan, 1997).
Carl Waldman, Atlas of the North American Indian. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2000).
Carl Waldman, Encyclopedia of Native Tribes. (New York: Checkmark Books, 2006).
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