Analyzing a Document about Teaching at Indian Boarding Schools
Focusing on Details: White Out/Black Out
All documents and text associated with this activity are printed below, followed by a worksheet for student responses.Introduction
Look closely at the document below. It was sent to the Secretary of the Board of Indian Commissioners in response to his request for information about Indian Boarding Schools.The document compares the salaries and responsibilities of educators at Indian Boarding Schools with those of educators at public schools. Using the context clues, figure out which words are whited out by considering which column describes Indian Boarding Schools and which column describes public schools. What details support your conclusion?
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Worksheet
Analyzing a Document about Teaching at Indian Boarding Schools
Focusing on Details: White Out/Black Out
Examine the documents included in this activity and write your response in the space provided.
This document is making a comparison between the salaries and responsibilities of Indian Boarding Schools and Public Schools.
Your Response
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Activity Element
Letter to Superintendent Henderson from the Office of the Board of Indian Commissioners
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Conclusion
Analyzing a Document about Teaching at Indian Boarding Schools
Focusing on Details: White Out/Black Out
- Based on this document, do you think the job of a teacher at an Indian Boarding School was similar to that of a public school teacher? Why or why not?
- Federal policies related to Indian Boarding schools in the early 20th century sought to assimilate members of Native Communities into "White" mainstream society by forbidding the pupils to speak their native languages, dress in their traditional clothing, or practice their cultural traditions. Are there details from this document that connect to these policies? If so, list them.
Your Response
Document
Letter to Superintendent Henderson from the Office of the Board of Indian Commissioners
2/11/1922
The Office of the Board of Indian Commissioners (a committee created by Congress to advise the federal government on Native American policy and who supervised the delivery of supplies to Indian agencies) sent this letter to James Henderson, superintendent of the Cherokee Indian School in Cherokee, North Carolina. The letter asks Superintendent Henderson for assistance in distributing copies of letters to Indian School staff in order to gather information to present to Congress to get additional Indian School Program funding. Superintendent Henderson responded with information on the staff salaries and amount of time spent working at the Indian School.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
National Archives Identifier: 279347
Full Citation: Letter to Superintendent Henderson from the Office of the Board of Indian Commissioners; 2/11/1922; Subject Numeric Correspondence Files, 6/14/1914 - 6/1926; Records of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, ; National Archives at Atlanta, Morrow, GA. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/letter-superintendent-henderson, October 12, 2024]Letter to Superintendent Henderson from the Office of the Board of Indian Commissioners
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Letter to Superintendent Henderson from the Office of the Board of Indian Commissioners
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Letter to Superintendent Henderson from the Office of the Board of Indian Commissioners
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Letter to Superintendent Henderson from the Office of the Board of Indian Commissioners
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Letter to Superintendent Henderson from the Office of the Board of Indian Commissioners
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Letter to Superintendent Henderson from the Office of the Board of Indian Commissioners
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Letter to Superintendent Henderson from the Office of the Board of Indian Commissioners
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