Draper was a correspondent of Montezuma while in the position of Commissioner of Education of the State of New York. At this time, Draper had established himself as someone who acknowledged the flaws of the public school systems to change it through often seemingly radical reform. Both Draper and Montezuma saw the public education system as a potential forum for Native growth in society. Admittedly or not, Draper seemed to mostly agree with Montezuma and this showed by Draper agreeing to take Montezuma’s views and present them at the Mohonk Indian Conference of 1907.
