Is a systematic genocide of the native population of the United States plausible?

In the OP, I meant deliberate extermination.

So you mean an attempt by the US government to totally, systematically exterminate all the natives?

I can only see anything close to a death camp scenario happening once the natives are in reservations, and by that time, what's the point in killing all of them? The only incentive that can exist for such a policy change would be an ideological one, since they're already out of the way of settlement and pose no militaristic threat, and there's no way to turn killing them all into money (that I can think of). Americans at this time did not want to kill all the natives - they saw them as noble savages, not dangerous monsters that need to be put down. Something has to wildly shift public opinion.

For this scenario, you need the American public to be scared of the natives when they already have them in reservations. You need a terrorist.
 
In the New World the Inquisition was instituted as a means of oppression as well. Of course priests said it was to save souls, but they had a very clearly stated and deliberate practice of stamping out as much aspects of native culture as possible so as to remove any "subversive" memories of a time without Spain and the Church.

They destroyed historical and cultural and scientific knowledge, it's sad and revolting. It reminds me of Savonarola and his enthusiasm for burning books, works of art and musical instruments.
 
In the New World the Inquisition was instituted as a means of oppression as well. Of course priests said it was to save souls, but they had a very clearly stated and deliberate practice of stamping out as much aspects of native culture as possible so as to remove any "subversive" memories of a time without Spain and the Church.

I think that has to be acknowledged as tied to the "saving souls" business - an attempt to ensure that the natives would never "relapse" or something as opposed to "let's wipe out every man, woman and child".

Sure as hell meets the "cultural destruction" definition of genocide, I will second that without hesitation.
 
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