In the wake of the plains indian wars, u. s. indian policy changed from a policy of (recognized as a failure by the 1880s to a policy of (an effort that also failed.

The first plank could be "removal," which was the policy (advocated especially by Andrew Jackson in the 1830s) that sought to "remove" Native Americans to reservations in the west as a means of freeing up their land for white settlers. The second blank could be "assimilation," which was a policy of cultural eradication and ethnocide in which government and religious officials sought to replace Native languages, religions, and customs with white, European alternatives. One way this policy was pursued was by forcing Native children into boarding schools far from their families (like the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania).