American Experience

Season 4 Episode 13: In the White Man's Image

In 1875, in St. Augustine, Florida, an ambitious experiment was conceived -- to teach Native Americans to become imitation white men. With the blessing of Congress, the first school for Indians was established in Carlisle, PA, to continue the "civilizing" mission. Indian students ha their hair cut short, were forbidden to speak their native languages or to visit home for up to five years. By 1902, there were 26 reservation boarding schools. Although liberal for the times, it was cultural genocide -- a humanist experiment gone bad.

Genre:

Documentary

Seasons:

37

Episodes:

396

Cast:

Quality:

HD

Duration:

55 min

First Air:

1988

Rating:

6.5