I pledge compliance: 19th century indigenous residential schools as indicators of multigenerational trauma

A comparative sociological, historical, and anthropological analysis of 19th century boarding schools for both Native Americans and the Māori as institutionalized genocide and the resulting impact of multigenerational trauma. Using social boundary theory and the rational-legal model, this thesis attempts to examine the imperialist ideologies inherent in the creation of educational institutions dedicated to the cultural assimilation of indigenous peoples within the United States and New Zealand. How did 19th century schools for indigenous children contribute to current inequity? The cruel science of eugenics, coupled with state encouraged policies aimed at acquiring large land tracts with marginal resistance, created the decision to assimilate indigenous youth. That decision has multigenerational repercussions, including lower literacy rates, lower enrollment in higher education, higher instances of poverty, as well as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other mental illness, and higher rates of alcohol and substance abuse. However, instances of multigenerational trauma in Māori appear to be more closely related to loss of land, while Native Americans experience trauma from land loss and the residential schools.