As the nation moved into the 1880s it began to shift its Indian policy. In an effort to reform its years of mistreatment of natives, the new Progressive movements decided that instead of separating Indians it should help them by trying to make them more like themselves. The new idea was to education native children so they could become more civilized. It also meant breaking up Indian lands into individual allotments so natives could have personal ownership like whites. Even though at the time this was an honest effort to help natives, it did more harm than good as it was an attempt at cultural genocide.
Historically Speaking 