"The goal of assimilating American Indians into an alien culture seemed inevitable as superior weaponry and foreign diseases conquered the Indians. Only in the 20th century has serious consideration been given to allowing Indians to choose their own destiny. Using many excerpts from historical accounts, this book describes educational efforts by the dominant white culture to remake the native inhabitants into pseudo-Europeans and both resistance and cooperation that the Indians exhibited in reaction. In the late 19th century reformers felt that the way to get Indians to progress quickly was to detribalize and individualize them. Education in white ways was seen as a method to destroy tribal life, rid the government of its trust and treaty responsibilities, and compensate Indians for land taken from them. However, attempts at quick assimilation have often led to failure. Rapid erosion of traditional culture produced cultural disintegration, not cultural replacement. This paperback book describes American Indian education by the colonial missionaries from 1492 to 1776, through the western removal, the period of government control and mission schools following the Civil War, the Indian New Deal, and the recent period of self-determination. This book contains 178 references. (DHP)." - ERIC database description