Rules For Indian Schools

Name _____________________________ Class _________________ Date __________________
The American West Primary Source

Copyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
12 The American West
Rules for Indian Schools
39. The Sabbath must be properly observed. There shall be a Sabbath
school or some other suitable service every Sunday, which pupils shall be
required to attend. The superintendent may require employees to attend and
participate in all the above exercises; but any employee declining as a
matter of conscience shall be excused from attending and participating in
any or all religious exercises . . .
41. All instruction must be in the English language. Pupils must be
compelled to converse with each other in English, and should be properly
rebuked or punished for persistent violation of this rule. Every effort
should be made to encourage them to abandon their tribal language. To
facilitate this work it is essential that all school employees be able to speak
English fluently, and that they speak English exclusively to the pupils, and
also to each other in the presence of pupils . . .
43. Except in cases of emergency, pupils shall not be removed from school
either by their parents or others, nor shall they be transferred from a
Government to a private school without special authority from the Indian
Office . . .
47. So far as practicable, a uniform style of clothing for the school should
be adopted. Two plain, substantial suits, with extra pair of trousers for each
boy, and three neat, well-made dresses for each girl, if kept mended, ought
to suffice for week-day wear for one year. For Sunday wear each pupil
should be furnished with a better suit. The pupils should also be supplied
with underwear adapted to the climate, with night clothes, and with
handkerchiefs, and, if the climate requires it, with overcoats and cloaks and
with overshoes . . .
49. There should be a flag staff at every school, and the American flag
should be hoisted, in suitable weather, in the morning and lowered at
sunset daily.

ABOUT THE SOURCE By the late 1800s, the U.S. government had forced
most Native Americans onto reservations. Having taken their land, the
government next tried to force the Indians to abandon their culture. Government
officials wanted Indians to live like white people. The government built schools to
Americanize Native American children. The document below is a list of some of
the rules that the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs set for these schools.

As you read, note how the rules promoted the governments policy of
Americanization. The following words may be new to you: facilitate, fluently,
practicable, hoisted, logomachy. You may want to use a dictionary to look them
up.
Name _____________________________ Class _________________ Date __________________
The American West Primary Source
Copyright by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. All rights reserved.
13 The American West
50. Special hours should be allotted for recreation. Provision should be
made for outdoor sports, and the pupils should be encouraged in daily
healthful exercise under the eye of a school employee; simple games
should also be devised for indoor amusement. They should be taught the
sports and games enjoyed by white youth, such as baseball, hopscotch,
croquet, marbles, bean bags, dominoes, checkers, logomachy, and other
word and letter games, and the use of dissected maps, etc. The girls should
be instructed in simple fancy work, knitting, netting, crocheting, different
kinds of embroidery, etc . . .
56. A regular and efficient system of industrial training must be a part of
the work of each school. At least half of the time of each boy and girl
should be devoted theretothe work to be of such character that they may
be able to apply the knowledge and experience gained, in the locality
where they may be expected to reside after leaving school. In pushing
forward the school-room training of these boys and girls, teachers, and
especially superintendents, must not lose sight of the great necessity for
fitting their charges for the every-day life of their after years . . .

U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs
Source: Annual Report of the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, 1890
WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
1. What areas of the students lives do these rules cover?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
2. What was the long-term goal of the Bureau of Indian Affairs regarding Native
American children?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
3. How do you think the person or people who wrote these rules felt about Native
American culture?
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________

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Name _____________________ Class _ Date __________

The American West Primary Source

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