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The Gradual Civilation Act is passed
The Gradual Civilization Act required all indian males over the age of 21 who could speak, read, and write English or French to renounce their Indian status. This directly relates to the Native American boarding schools and how English is forced upon them. -
First Native American boarding school is created
Native American boarding schools were develeped in order to get rid of any non white qualities. The purpose was to cleanse the public body and create an all white country. Boarding schools for Native Americans helped to assimilate the children and make them more like white people. -
First off-reservation Native American boarding school is created
Captain Richard Henry Pratt constructs the very first federally funded off-reservation Native American Boarding school in 1879 by order of the US federal government. Having an off-reservation boarding school is a very big deal because the students are seperated from their home. Many ties are severed in the process allowing for easier assimilation and better results. -
Indian Appropriation Act is passed
On May 17, 1882, the United States Congress passed a bill known as the Indian Appropriation Act, whereby a sum of money was to be appropriated for the building of a school for American Indian youth. This shows that the United States government was conciously funding the destruction of a culture. they were actively funneling money into a system that was designed to rid the country of a race through assimilation. -
Residential schools in the Canadian West are authorized
John A. Macdonald authorizes the creation of residential schools in the Canadian West after much encouragement. The schools were funded by the Canadian government's Indian Affairs and Northern Department and was administered by Christian churches. They recieved lots of money and created many residential schools, but the decreased once they had finished and the actual conditions in the schools were deplorable. -
First off reservation federally funded boarding school is erected
Erected in the Great Plains, near the border of Kansas. Many boarding schools were built in this year. They were all placed far away from the reservations in white communities. This way, there would be no outside influence on the students and they could adapt better. -
Report on residential schools' conditions is issued
Medical Inspector for Indian Affairs, Dr. P.H. Bryce, issues a report that the health conditions in the residential schools are a “national crime.” It was a known issue that was never dealt with in Canada. Many people would just sweep it under the carpet. The conditions were very similar to the boarding schools in America and they not receiving enough attention. -
Abolition of residential schools is recommended.
Indian Affairs regional inspectors recommend abolition of residential schools. It has been a known issue for a while yet nothing has been done about it. The governemnt said they would improve the schools but did very little to help. Not only were the goals of the schools inhumane but the conditions in the schools were sickening. There were many health issues. -
Navajo Community College Act
The Navajo Community College Act provided federal funds ". . . to assist the Navajo Tribe of Indians in providing education to the members of the tribe and other qualified applicants through a community college. . .". Congress passed the Act because the previous Bureau of Indian Affairs method of funding community colleges controlled by Indian tribes did not ensure sufficient funding. This became the first Indian institution for higher education to be established and directed by Indians. -
Indian Education Act of 1972 is passed
The Indian Education Act of 1972 established the Office of Indian Education and the National Advisory Council on Indian Education and made federal funds available for Native American educational initiatives at all grade levels. It was the first act to focus national attention on the educational needs of American Indian and Alaskan Native students. -
Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act is passed
The Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act of 1975 authorized the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare, and other government agencies to enter into contracts with and make grants directly to federally recognized Indian tribes. The act also gave Native American people control over their schools. Since the act was passed more than seventy schools have taken charge of their schools by bringing back their languages and beliefs to their schools. -
Native American Languages Act of 1990 is passed
The Native American Languages Act of 1990 is the title given for executive order PUBLIC LAW 101-477 enacted by Congress on October 30, 1990. The act declared that Native Americans were entitled to use their own languages. Congress updated the act in 1992 by adding a grant program to “assist Native Americans in assuring the survival” of their languages. Although this was essential, the amount granted was not nearly sufficient to finance programming for all interested tribes. -
Grant program is created to keep Native American languages alive
The Native American Languages Act of 1990 is the title given for executive order PUBLIC LAW 101-477 enacted by Congress on October 30, 1990. The act declared that Native Americans were entitled to use their own languages. Congress updated the act in 1992 by adding a grant program to “assist Native Americans in assuring the survival” of their languages. Although this was essential, the amount granted was not nearly sufficient to finance programming for all interested tribes. -
No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) is passed
Although NCLB claims to respect the right of Native communities to incorporate their own language and culture, many of its mandates actually contradict those laid out in the Native American Languages Act. In addition to restrictive teacher qualifications, NCLB requires assessment testing to be entirely in English. -
Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act is passed
This act added funding for language schools, master-apprentice programs, immersion camps, teacher training, and language classes for the parents of students enrolled in native language programs. In 2009, such programs were granted in all about 12 million dollars although this still wasn’t enough to finance the programs. -
Native Language Immersion Student Achievement Act
The most recent Native American education act is the Native Language Immersion Student Achievement Act, S. 1948, which was introduced on January 16, 2014. The legislation "would establish a grant program to fund Native language educational programs." This act authorizes the Secretary of Education to award grants to schools and tribal nonprofit organizations to maintain and improve programs that speak any Native American language as their primary language of instruction.
