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Indigenous Cultures and History Peer reviewed

Protective legislation and paternalism: assimilative indigenous education in the US and Canada, 1928–1953

ANDREW WOOLFORD

Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law | Oct 21, 2026

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Abstract

Abstract

In both the US and Canada third pillar protective legislation was largely oriented towards the promoting assimilation and solving the ‘Indian problem’. It provided a context and frame of reference for the establishment and shaping of a key component of second pillar Indigenous policy – the promotion of church-run, state-funded boarding schools (US) and residential schools (Canada) expressly created to eradicate Indigenous Peoples by erasing their languages, religions, cultures, and identities. However, while the trends were largely similar in the US and Canada, differing constellations of individual and institutional actors – reformers, activists, bureaucrats, churches, and states – at times allowed for some notable distinctions in the two nations. I explore the character and role of third pillar protective legislation and how it shaped second pillar education policy and schools in US and Canadian history, highlighting where and how it diverged, as well as how these trends have influenced contemporary Indigenous politics in each country.

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ANDREW WOOLFORD

first | University of Manitoba

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Indigenous Peoples' Rights and LawLatest Indigenous Cultures and History researchLatest Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights research

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Citation

BibTeX

@article{WOOLFORD2026Protective,
  title = {Protective legislation and paternalism: assimilative indigenous education in the US and Canada, 1928–1953},
  author = {ANDREW WOOLFORD},
  journal = {Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law},
  year = {2026},
  doi = {10.1080/09649069.2026.2750800},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1080/09649069.2026.2750800}
}

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