‘Pure Hell’: The Painful Legacy of Boarding Schools for Native Americans. - The New York Times

The schools were designed to erase the children's tribal ties and cultural practices. Children were given new names, forcibly converted to Christianity and punished for speaking their Native languages. Many were physically and sexually abused. 

 A report released in July by the Interior Department identified by name nearly 19,000 children who attended the schools between 1819 and 1969, though it acknowledged that there were more. At least 973 children died at the schools and were buried at 74 sites, 21 of which were unmarked, the report said. 

 Congress funded the schools through annual appropriations and by selling land held by tribes. The government also hired Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopalian and Congregationalist associations to run schools, regardless of whether they had experience in education.…

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/25/us/us-indian-boarding-schools-history.html