Womens History

Running Head : Native American Women in the 1890s

Consolidation of the West , Mass Immigration and the Native American Women in the 1890s

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Consolidation of the West , Mass Immigration and the Native American Women in the 1890s

In the late 19th century , two important historical processes reshaped American society . First , the United States experienced an unprecedented wave of immigration . Second , the western part of the continent was consolidation into the American nation . While both developments were geared towards better lives , greater prosperity

and increased personal freedom , they also led to the marginalization of Native Americans (Dubios Dumeni , 2005 , 341

White migrants believed that Indians have to make way for the new settlers , for their economic ambitions and for what they regarded to be a superior civilization (Dubios Dumeni , 2005 , 342 . Hence , the years after 1865 were characterized by a series of armed conflict between Native Americans and white federal forces that wore away at the natives unity and resources . Native American women joined the armed resistance against the white invasion of their ancestral land . And for a good reason - the culture of the whites opposed the active role a woman played in Native American society

Native American women were more liberated compared to their white counterparts . In Native American society , matters pertaining to women were the considered as business of women . All decisions concerning women 's reproductive health were left up to the women as an individual and her decision was respected , and was final . Oftentimes , Indian women would turn to other women within her society for advice , mentoring , and assistance concerning reproductive health . Native American women also free to own their own homes , participate in decisions about their government and have control of their bodies

Government-run boarding schools were used to forcibly educate little Indian boys and girls about the values and ways of dominant American culture . This proved to be a negative experience for Native American women , as by the 1890s , several thousand Native American children were forcibly removed from their parents and were sent to school where they were made to stop dressing , speaking , thinking and believing like Indians ' Boys and girls who refused to give up their Indian ways were subjected to repeated and harsh physical punishment . To make matters worse , as soon as they leave these boarding schools , their assimilation into American society consisted only of being servants and menial laborers for white families (Dubios Dumeni , 2005 , 343

Some women supported Americanization attempts because they were able to acquire English literacy and other useful skills in the boarding school system . Some worked in reservation agencies and became teachers . Others became public advocates for their people , such as the Yankton Sioux writer Gertrude Simmons Bonnin and the Omaha sisters Susan and Susette La Flesche . However , some women resisted Americanization attempts , as they believed that Americanization reinforced the whites ' oppression of Native Americans . For instance , white culture dictated that women are supposed to be dependent on men for their survival . This...