To Learn Not Compensate

‘The intended purpose behind residential schools was that European settlers believed that their civilization was the pinnacle of human achievement, and because of this believed that it was righteous to “civilize” the Aboriginal peoples. One of the men responsible for the creation of the residential schools is journalist and politician, Nicholas Flood Davin. According to him, this is was an example of “aggressive civilization” which at the time was being used in the U.S. He was commissioned to do this by Prime Minister, Sir John A. MacDonald. Nicholas has stated in his Report on Industrial Schools for Indians and Half-Breeds in 1879, “If anything is to be done with the Indian, we must catch them very young.” This further shows how the main purpose of residential schools was to conform the Aboriginal peoples to European culture.’