A History of the American Indian Boarding Schools

Renewed calls for investigations into the abuses of American Indian children have brought new scrutiny to the boarding school system. This talk will examine the thinking behind the creation of federal schools for youth including Haskell Indian Nations University, originally known as the United States Indian Industrial Training School, and how this system affected Native communities in the short and long term. The American Indian story is one of cultural survival, but what are the next steps for reckoning with this difficult and painful part of our national history?

About the presenter: Eric Anderson is a citizen of the Potawatomi Nation and professor of history at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence. This presentation is part of Humanities Kansas's Speakers Bureau, featuring humanities-based presentations designed to share stories that inspire, spark conversations that inform, and generate insights that strengthen civic engagement.