Critical Thinking Questions   Home       If you'd like to print out this page, click the Print button above. Alternatively, you may click the printer icon on your browser's toolbar, or choose File>Print from the menu.     The U.S. government's original plan for Native Americans, prior to the New Deal efforts, had been assimilation and integration - what did that mean for Native Americans? What other aspects, like education or cultural affairs, do you think the New Deal for Native Americans addressed and why? Based on your knowledge of the status of Native Americans during this era, were most Native Americans residing on reservations at this time? Do you think many Native Americans felt the need to seek employment and to "assimilate" into life outside the reservation? How did Native Americans keep their heritage and culture alive, despite the loss of their sovereign lands within the boundaries of the United States?