Key Points: Native American History, Citizenship, and Immigration

Boarding schools and forced assimilation

• Boarding schools with cemeteries; children forbidden to speak native languages; taught Christianity; forced to abandon native identity and adopt European American culture.
• Reports of mental and sexual abuse; systemic abuse documented.
• Era ends in the $1930s$.

Citizenship, demographics, and perception

• Under the $1924$ Citizenship Act, indigenous people did not have to apply for citizenship nor surrender native identity to become U.S. citizens.
• The $1920$ census showed Native peoples at about $0.5\%$ of the U.S. population; viewed as no longer a threat.
• In the American imagination, Native peoples became mascots and symbols, positioned as non-threatening to the American way of life.

Native imagery, mascots, and public culture

• Native peoples depicted alongside animals in imagery; the idea that “natives” belong in the national landscape.
• Mascots in sports and culture (e.g., Redskins, Indians, Chiefs) reinforce stereotypes and limit visible, authentic Indigenous representation.
• Thanksgiving and other national narratives reinforce familiar, caricatured images of Native peoples.

Immigration policy and Native contributions

• Immigration policy discussions often overlook Native American histories.
• Native Americans were the original inhabitants who made room for later immigrant groups; in some cases, forced to vacate homeland.
• Native homeland and heritage are foundational to U.S. society; immigrant groups eventually occupy the same lands.

Course perspective and conclusion

• The course begins with Native experiences to illuminate environment, removal, and citizenship dynamics.
• Understanding Native experiences helps explain why Native traditions underpin U.S. society today.
• Native peoples welcomed immigrants at times, but history includes warfare and policy that forced removal; ongoing appreciation of Native traditions is essential.