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Aggressive Assimilation
Facing the resilience of indigenous traditional education in Canada, Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald, who was also Minister of Indian Affairs, commissioned Nicholas Flood Davin, a journalist, lawyer, and politician, to go to Washington, DC, in 1879 to study how the United States tackled the same issue.
Historical Background: The Indian Act and the Indian Residential Schools
Go deeper into the history of the Indian Act and the founding of the Residential Schools system.
Introduction: Stolen Lives
Read a foreword by Theodore Fontaine and other introductory material that will help you begin exploring this book.
Prime Minister Harper's Apology
As part of the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, a Truth and Reconciliation Commission was established. Before its work got under way, Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a public apology on June 11, 2008, on behalf of the Canadian government. The apology is part of the process arranged by the government and the First Nations as parties to the agreement, part of an overall attempt to address the government’s role in the history of the Indian Residential Schools.
From "Noble Savage" to "Wretched Indian"
Examine the differing ideas about Indigenous Peoples conveyed in a painting by George Catlin and an excerpt from Charles Dickens.
Race Theory
Learn about the development of race science in the nineteenth-century and its role in the history of racism.
They Have Stolen Our Lands
Read this 1910 statement by chiefs of the Shuswap, Okanagan, and Couteau nations that sheds light on how Indigenous Peoples viewed Europeans during this period.
Killing the Indian in the Child
Learn about the goal of assimilation held by many in colonial Canada and its influence on the creation of the Indian Residential Schools system.
The Role of the Churches
Get insight into the complicated role the Christian church played in the Indian Residential Schools system.
First Days
Albert Canadien recounts his first day at an Indian Residential School and the assimilation he experienced.