Native Americans have been the target of racial and ethnic abuses since the first Europeans appeared in North America. In the attempt to deal with the so-called Indian problem, one method that has been used with tragic results is the forced use of English in schools provided on reservations for the children. In this setting, children were severely punished if they spoke or wrote their native language, resulting in the gradual erosion of the cultural bonds and legacy of their particular group. This policy was used by the Indian Bureau (later the Bureau of Indian Affairs) as an attempt at]
