Federal Fathers and Mothers

A Social History of the United States Indian Service, 1869-1933

By Cathleen D. Cahill | Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press

About the book

Established in 1824, the United States Indian Service (USIS), now known as the Bureau of Indian Affairs, was the agency responsible for carrying out U.S. treaty and trust obligations to American Indians, but it also sought to “civilize” and assimilate them. In Federal Fathers and Mothers, Cathleen Cahill offers the first in-depth social history of the agency during the height of its assimilation efforts in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Cahill shows how the USIS pursued a strategy of intimate colonialism, using employees as surrogate parents and model families in order to shift Native Americans' allegiances from tribal kinship networks to Euro-American familial structures and, ultimately, the U.S. government.

Editions of Federal Fathers and Mothers

Hardcover
ISBN 9780807834725
Paperback
ISBN 9781469606811
EBook
ISBN 9780807877739
EBook
ISBN 9781469603032
EBook
ISBN 9798890883186
EBook
ISBN 9798893133257

Read an Excerpt

Established in 1824, the United States Indian Service (USIS), now known as the Bureau of Indian Affairs, was the agency responsible for carrying out U.S. treaty and trust obligations to American Indians, but it also sought to “civilize” and assimilate them. In Federal Fathers and Mothers, Cathleen Cahill offers the first in-depth social history of the agency during the height of its assimilation efforts in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Cahill shows how the USIS pursued a strategy of intimate colonialism, using employees as surrogate parents and model families in order to shift Native Americans' allegiances from tribal kinship networks to Euro-American familial structures and, ultimately, the U.S. government.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Federal Fathers and Mothers about?

Established in 1824, the United States Indian Service (USIS), now known as the Bureau of Indian Affairs, was the agency responsible for carrying out U.S. treaty and trust obligations to American Indians, but it also sought to “civilize” and assimilate them. In Federal Fathers and Mothers, Cathleen Cahill offers the first in-depth social history of the agency during the height of its assimilation efforts in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Cahill shows how the USIS pursued a strategy of intimate colonialism, using employees as surrogate parents and model families in order to shift Native Americans' allegiances from tribal kinship networks to Euro-American familial structures and, ultimately, the U.S. government.

What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Federal Fathers and Mothers?

Society and Social Sciences > Society and culture: general > Social groups, communities and identities > Ethnic studies / Ethnicity > Ethnic groups and multicultural studies > Indigenous peoples / Indigeneity

Where can I read a sample of Federal Fathers and Mothers?

You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9780807834725

How long is Federal Fathers and Mothers and how many pages does it have?

Federal Fathers and Mothers has 384 page(s)

Who is/are the Author/s of the book Federal Fathers and Mothers?

Cathleen D. Cahill

Who is the Publisher of the book Federal Fathers and Mothers?

The University of North Carolina Press

What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

Federal Fathers and Mothers is available as hardcover(ISBN 9780807834725) and paperback(ISBN 9781469606811) and ebook(ISBN 9780807877739) and ebook(ISBN 9781469603032) and ebook(ISBN 9798890883186) and ebook(ISBN 9798893133257)

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Where can I buy Federal Fathers and Mothers?