Was the Carlisle Indian School good or bad?

The majority of stories from boarding schools were negative, Gerencser said. However, letters written to Pratt in 1890 show that some graduates found the Carlisle experience to be positive.

What type of school was the Carlisle School?

Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, opened in 1879 as the first government-run boarding school for Native American children. The goal? Forced assimilation of Native children into white American society under the belief of “Kill the Indian, Save the Man.”

What were the conditions like in the Carlisle Indian School?

Some examples were poor diet and insufficient medical services. Illness tore through Carlisle during its time as a boarding school. Diseases like Trachoma, Influenza and Tuberculosis are just some of the illnesses that threatened the students upon their arrival.

Why was the Carlisle Indian School shut down?

In 1918, Carlisle boarding school was closed because Pratt's method of assimilating American Indian students through off-reservation boarding schools was perceived as outdated. That same year Congress passed new Indian education legislation, the Act of May 25, 1918.

How successful was the Carlisle School?

By some measures the Carlisle school was a success. During the school's 39-year history more than 10,000 students attended. Every student took music classes and received private instruction, and the school band performed in every presidential inaugural parade during the life of the school.

Why One Historic Indian Boarding School is Now...Good?

Why was the Carlisle school bad?

Some never made it back home. The purpose of Carlisle, as well as other boarding schools across the nation, was to remove Native Americans from their cultures and lifestyles and assimilate them into the white man's society.

Who is the most famous alumni of Carlisle Indian School?

Thorpe was considered by many to be "The World's Greatest Athlete" and is one of the most famous graduates of the Carlisle Indian School. In school documentation James Thorpe is also known as Jim Thorpe, also spelled Jim Thorp.

How many kids died at Carlisle Indian School?

More than 180 Native children died at Carlisle, often from a combination of malnourishment, sustained abuse and disease brought on by poor living conditions.

Why is Carlisle Indian School famous?

The Carlisle Indian Industrial School opened in 1879 and operated for nearly 30 years with a mission to “kill the Indian” to “save the Man.” This philosophy meant administrators forced students to speak English, wear Anglo-American clothing, and act according to U.S. values and culture.

How did the Carlisle Indian School hurt the Native tribes?

The children were forced to cut their hair and give up their traditional clothing. They had to give up their meaningful Native names and take English ones. They were not only taught to speak English but were punished for speaking their own languages.

Does the Carlisle Indian School still exist?

After the United States entered World War I, however, the school was closed, and the property on which it was located was transferred back for use by the U.S. Department of Defense. The property is now part of the U.S. Army War College. Carlisle, Pennsylvania, U.S.

Is Carlisle Indian School still standing?

It was housed in Carlisle, PA at the Carlisle Barracks, now the home of the U.S. Army War College. "Carlisle" became the model for 24 off reservation schools with the purpose of acculturation. Many of the school buildings are still standing.

What was the controversy with the Carlisle Indian School?

Almost 7,800 children attended Carlisle Indian Industrial School, where assimilation was a founding principle: Upon entry, children were renamed and stripped of their tribal clothing and hairstyles. In promotional materials, the school disseminated before-and-after portraits of students.

How were the children at the Carlisle School treated?

At Carlisle, boys had their hair cut short and were forced to wear military style uniforms. Girls were made to wear loose fitting plain dresses. Pratt's goal was to help "better" minorities. "Kill the Indian Save the Man" - Lieutenant Richard Henry Pratt.

How did the Carlisle school end?

The Carlisle Indian School was officially transferred to the Department of War on September 1, 1918, for use as U.S. Army Base Hospital #31. The entire closure process occurred between July 9 and September 1, 1918, during which time the majority of the included documents were created.

When did Carlisle Indian School close?

In 1918, Carlisle Indian Industrial closed for good, but when the school closed, the institutions it spawned and the desire to obliterate Native cultures did not die with it.

Was the Carlisle Indian School a boarding school?

Past. Opened in 1879 in Pennsylvania, the Carlisle Indian Industrial School was the first government-run boarding school for Native Americans. Civil War veteran Lt. Col.

What would happen if Native American parents refused to send their children to boarding schools?

Parents who refused to send their children to the schools could be legally imprisoned and deprived of resources such as food and clothing which were scarce on reservations. Three of the 25 Indian boarding schools run by the U.S. government were in California.

What was the impact of the Carlisle Indian Industrial School?

Loss of cultural identity

Students who were stripped of their language, forced to cut their hair, and converted to Christianity lost significant connection to their tribe and their culture. While some students left boarding schools and returned home, many others did not and thus forever lost their cultural identity.

Who was the boy who died in Carlisle?

The first victim was 15-year-old Lewis Kirkpatrick, whose body was found in the river a day after the incident. A second boy has died following an incident in which a group of teenagers got into trouble in a river in Cumbria.

What happened to the children at the Carlisle Indian Boarding School?

More than 150 children lie in the Carlisle Barracks Post Cemetery; many of them were students at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, which closed in 1918. Many of the children died from diseases like tuberculosis. The one thing they had in common is they never returned home.

What is the dress code for Carlisle Indian School?

Khaki dress slacks - plain or pleated front (No cargo pants, carpenter pants, or blue jeans.) Navy Carlisle logo polo shirt ● Dress shoes (no sneakers) ● Dark (crew length) socks ● If pants have belt loops, a belt must be worn.

What was the graduation rate for the Carlisle Indian School?

More than 10,500 students from 140 tribes attended the Carlisle Indian Industrial School during the 39 years it operated. Of these only 158 ultimately received degrees through the program.

Did Jim Thorpe attend Carlisle School?

In 1904, the sixteen-year-old Thorpe returned to his father and decided to attend Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. There his athletic ability was recognized and he was coached by Glenn Scobey "Pop" Warner, one of the most influential coaches of early American football history.

What is one reason why so many native students died at boarding schools like Carlisle?

Boarding schools were susceptible to deadly infections like tuberculosis and the flu, and schools like Carlisle had cemeteries for dead students. Between Carlisle's founding 1879 and its closing 1918, the school buried nearly 200 children in its cemetery.