Biden apologizes for abusive Native American boarding schools and their legacy

The federally-run Indian boarding schoolhouse strategy was designed to assimilate Native Americans “by destroying Native culture, connection and individuality done harsh militaristic and assimilationist methods,” the White House said connected Thursday.

No US president had formally apologized for that enactment until now.

Key quotes

“The president besides believes that to usher successful the adjacent epoch of the Federal-Tribal relationships we request to afloat admit the harms of the past,” the White House said successful a statement.

“In making this apology, the president acknowledges that we arsenic a radical who emotion our state indispensable retrieve and thatch our afloat history, adjacent erstwhile it is painful. And we indispensable larn from that past truthful that it is ne'er repeated.”

Context

From 1819 done the 1970s, the United States implemented policies establishing and supporting hundreds of American Indian boarding schools crossed the nation.

The intent of these national boarding schools was to culturally assimilate American Indian, Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian children by forcibly removing them from their families, communities, languages, religions and taste beliefs, the Interior Department said.

The US spent implicit $23 billion, successful 2023 inflation-adjusted terms, during that play to tally the schools and associated assimilation policies. While children attended national boarding schools, galore endured carnal and affectional maltreatment and successful immoderate cases died.

Like the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Canada person successful caller years reviewed past maltreatment toward Indigenous communities, including children successful schools.