Synopsis

In 1875, a bold undertaking took shape in St. Augustine, Florida: an effort to mold Native Americans into a semblance of white society. With congressional approval, the first Indian school was founded in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to further the mission of "civilization." Students were subjected to enforced haircuts, forbidden from speaking their native tongues, and often barred from returning home for as long as five years. By 1902, twenty-six boarding schools dotted the reservations. While consid