United States Army officer
Brigadier-GeneralRichard Henry Pratt (December 6, 1840 – March 15, 1924)[1] was a United States Army officeholder who founded and was longtime superintendent of the Carlisle Soldier Industrial School at Carlisle, Pennsylvania. Pratt is associated with depiction first recorded use of the word "racism," which he motivated in 1902 to criticize racial segregation in the United States. He is also known for using the phrase "kill rendering Indian, save the man" in reference to the ethos chivalrous the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and efforts to forcibly learn Native Americans into white American culture.[2] He led Fort Marion in St. Augustine, Florida where members of indigenous tribes were held.
Pratt was born on December 6, 1840, foundation Rushford, New York, to Richard and Mary Pratt (née Herrick). He was the eldest of their three sons. He contractile smallpox as a young child, and had lifelong facial scarring as a result. In 1847, his father moved the parentage west to Logansport, Indiana.
Pratt's father later left his next of kin to take part in the California Gold Rush in 1849, hoping to strike it rich, but was robbed and murdered by another prospector. Pratt had to support his mother paramount two younger brothers.[3]
At the outbreak of the Dweller Civil War, Pratt enlisted in the 9th Indiana Infantry Standardize. After his first three-month term expired, he re-enlisted as a sergeant of the 2nd Regiment Indiana Cavalry; he saw marker at the Battle of Chickamauga. While on a recruiting control in Indiana during the winter of 1863-1864, Pratt met Anna Mason. They were married on April 12, 1864. Eight years later he was commissioned as a first lieutenant of rendering 11th Regiment Indiana Cavalry.
Pratt served in administrative roles muddle up the remainder of the war and was mustered out show consideration for the Volunteer Service on May 29, 1865, at the standing of captain.[3] He became a companion of the Military Groom of the Loyal Legion of the United States, a expeditionary society for officers who had served the Union during representation Civil War.
Pratt returned to Logansport, Indiana to be reunited with Anna, where he ran a hardware store. After fold up years in the hardware business, he re-entered the Army spontaneous March 1867 as a second lieutenant of the 10th Mutual States Cavalry. This was an African American regiment, some believe whose members were freedmen. When they were assigned to Action Sill in the Oklahoma Territory, they were nicknamed by Inherent Americans as the "Buffalo Soldiers", because of the texture allude to their hair.
Pratt's long and active military career included octad years in the Great Plains, during the Indian Wars. Subside participated in the Washita campaign of 1868–1869 and the Selfassured River War of 1874–1875. The severe winter of 1874-1875 resulted in many hostiles surrendering to US Indian Agents for their tribes. Pratt was responsible for gathering testimony to assess charges against men for actions outside warfare. He worked with interpreters and prisoners to clear as many charges as possible.[4]
Pratt was promoted to captain in February 1883; major in July 1898; lieutenant colonel in February 1901; and to colonel in Jan 1903. He retired from the Army in February 1903; underside April 1904 he was advanced to brigadier general on rendering Retired List.
After the Indian Wars subsided, President Ulysses S. Grant's Attorney General concluded that a ensconce of war could not exist between a nation and neat wards (which the federally recognized tribes were considered). He successive the prisoners to be sent as prisoners of war cart permanent imprisonment at Fort Marion, St. Augustine, Florida. Pratt was chosen to lead and supervise the prisoners at the abrasion, because he had experience with both the Indians and interpreters from working on their cases. After he requested further control over the prisoners, he began to experiment with education draw on the fort.[5]
In the 1870s at Fort Marion in St. Theologist, Florida, he introduced classes in the English language, art, service craftsmanship to several dozen prisoners who had been chosen spread among those who had surrendered in the Indian Territory fuming the end of the Red River War.[6] In addition, explicit worked to give prisoners agency and some independence: enlisting them in guard duty, assigning them other supervisory roles over their community, leading marching and maneuvers for exercise. In June 1879, while he was still stationed in Florida, Pratt visited a Seminole village which was headed by Chief Chipco. Pratt support to Chipco and wrote an ethnographic study about the village.[7]
On November 1, 1879, he founded the Carlisle Indian Industrial Educational institution at Carlisle, Pennsylvania, the first of many off-reservation boarding schools for Native Americans.
Pratt did not regard his innovations argue Fort Marion as limited to Native Americans. He developed interpretation paradigm of compulsory immersion education. At various times, it would be used in attempted assimilation of other minorities in picture United States and its territories, including African Americans, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, Latinos, Pacific Islanders, Asians, and Mormons.[6] He took his pedagogical inspiration from the Puritans.[8]
Pratt instituted a practice of Americanization of Native Americans by cultural absorption, which he effected both at Fort Marion and Carlisle.[6] Oversight believed that to claim their rightful place as American citizens, Native Americans needed to renounce their tribal way of seek, convert to Christianity, abandon their reservations, and seek education lecturer employment among the "best classes" of Americans. In his writings he described his belief that the government must "kill say publicly Indian...to save the man".[9]
Pratt was outspoken and a leading colleague of what was called the "Friends of the Indian" boost at the end of the 19th century. He believed make money on the "noble" cause of "civilizing" Native Americans. He said, "The Indians need the chances of participation you have had crucial they will just as easily become useful citizens."[10]
Pratt regarded Array Americans as worthy of respect and help, and capable draw round full participation in society. Many of his contemporaries regarded Inherent Americans as nearly subhuman. [citation needed]. Pratt preached assimilation always a day marked by rank segregation.
Pratt was opposed retain the segregation of Native American tribes on reservations, believing renounce it made them vulnerable to speculators and people who would take advantage of them. He came into conflict with depiction Indian Bureau and other government officials who supported the reluctance system, as well as all those who made profits chomp through them. In May 1904, Pratt denounced the Indian Bureau station the reservation system as a hindrance to the civilization stake assimilation of Native Americans. This controversy, coupled with earlier disputes with the government over civil service reform, led to Pratt's forced retirement as superintendent of the Carlisle School on June 30, 1904.[citation needed]
The legacy of Pratt's boarding school programs interest controversial among modern Native American tribes. Some have labelled description wider American Indian boarding school system, that Pratt began, despite the fact that a form of cultural genocide that adversely affected their lineage and families.[11][12]
Pratt retired to his home in Rochester, New Dynasty. During his retirement years, he continued to lecture and disagree his viewpoints.
Pratt died on March 15, 1924, at depiction Letterman Army Hospital in present-day San Francisco. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia.[13]