History Lesson from hell: Faith-Based Government & American Indians

by Ojibwa

Promoted by Rain

As the United States continues down the road of privatizing government services to faith-based organizations, it might be a good idea to review an earlier excursion into this area. Under the administration of Ulysses S. Grant, the United States turned over the administration of Indian reservations to Christian missionary groups.

• Ojibwa's diary :: ::

President Grant inherited a mess with regard to the administration of Indian affairs. The Indian Office (later to become the Bureau of Indian Affairs) was notoriously corrupt and ineffective. As a first step in cleaning up the mess, Grant did two things: (1) he created a Board of Indian Commissioners composed on sincere Christian philanthropists to advise him, and (2) he appointed an Indian, Ely Parker, as Commissioner of Indian Affairs. Parker was the first Indian to hold this position and was the last for nearly a century.

In their initial report, the Board of Indian Commissioners recommended that Christian missions and their schools should be established on every reservation. According to the Commissioners: "The religion of our blessed Savior is believed to be the most effective agent for the civilization of any people."

Following the advice of the Board of Indian Commissioners, President Grant established his Peace Policy in which the administration of services on the Indian reservations where turned over to Christian groups. These services included schools, health care, and the distribution of rations. As a result young Indians were required to attend mission schools which include daily instruction in Christianity. Native religious practices and speaking Indian languages were prohibited. There was absolutely no concern for any possible religious views of Indians.

With regard to the First Amendment guarantees of freedom of religion, it was generally felt that these did not apply to American Indians for two reasons. First, Indians were not citizens nor could they become citizens and therefore the constitution did not apply to them. Second, the United States Indian policy was (and still is) guided by an international legal doctrine known as the Discovery Doctrine which states that a Christian nation has a right to govern a non-Christian nation. According to the Supreme Court in the 1823 McIntosh decision, under the Discovery Doctrine, the United States gave the "gift" of Christianity to Indians in exchange for title to their land.

http://www.streetprophets.com/storyonly/2009/5/8/1585/86894