The United States Indian Industrial School was founded in 1879 by General Richard Henry Pratt in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It served as the institutional materialization of Euro-American's intent of assimilating Native Americans into the dominant culture. Pratt believed all people were born equal and through education, native-american students would be able to "better themselves" and thrive in society like the rest.
However, this "assimilation" turned more into a harsh conversion process as Pratt attempted to "kill the Indian and save the man", meaning natives would be forced to become "americanized" and lose their own roots at whatever cost. Beyond a typical military regimen he was known to go into physical punishment upon students who "exhibited native behaviors".
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