Assimilation

What were the residential schools?

mandatory boarding schools for Aboriginal children

What was the purpose of the residential schools?

The goal was to assimilate the children into Western cultures and traditions

How was Enfranchisement promoted?

Through the Gradual Civilization Act in 1857 which said that any man who gave up his official Indian status would be considered enfranchised and given land on the reserve for his exclusive use

Was the Gradual Civilization Act successful?

No, because only one person actually voluntarily became enfranchised in this way

What was the Indian Act?

It was an act that defined what Indigenous people could and could not do, and imposed a definition of who was an Indigenous person

Did the Indian Act separate or join Indigenous Peoples to the rest of Canada?

It separated Indigenous people from the rest of Canada and was used to control their behavior and destroy their cultural traditions and customs

What did the first Indian Act state about assimilation?

The first Indian Act explicitly stated its plans of assimilation, encouraging Indigenous peoples to abandon their Indian status, identity, culture, and traditions to become full members of Canadian society

How was the Indian Act changed?

It was then changed so that it recognized Indigenous peoples with the right to negotiate with the Crown as a sovereign nation. This did not create total equality, but meant that the Crown could not simply appropriate their land without negotiating and purchasing it. It also still contained the government’s goal of enfranchisement