Argument Against Manifest Destiny

The United States Government used one saying to justify the persecution of millions Native Americans, Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny was the 19th-century doctrine or belief that the expansion of the U.S. throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable. The doctrine caused the extinction of many tribes and their cultures. Some, however, were lucky enough to survive and continue their legacy. One such tribe was the Apache. Their name is believed to come from a Zuni word meaning enemy, and to the white men they were the enemy. “Although few in number… their reputation as tenacious defenders of their harsh and pitiless land was already well established,” (“Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, 11, Dee Brown). After many trials …show more content…
Some chiefs tried to comply, such as Chief Mangas Coloradas, but when peace did not work he decided to declare war against the Americans. Mangas Coloradas died answering a call of peace from a group of California Volunteers who shot him instead of making peace. Chief Cochise’s band was also not without bloodshed. When they were falsely accused of raiding a ranch and kidnapped a young boy and his male relatives were captured and hung when they tried to express their innocence. This ordeal started the Apache Wars that led to many battles and massacres, such as the first and second Battle of Dragon Springs and the Battle of Apache Pass. One of the massacres was the Camp Grant Massacre, “On April 30, an angry mob of 150 Tucson citizens and their Papago (now Tohono O’odham) mercenaries attack the Aravaipa camp, clubbing and shooting 144 people,” (The Apache Wars: A Timeline., southernarizonaguide.com). The Apaches even had their own forced exodus, called the March of Tears, from Camp Verde to the San Carlos Reservation. “The Army had transported a few via wagon by a longer route, and some had run off to the mountains to remain free, but any had died on this Southwestern Trail of Tears,” (“A Forced Exodus”, Kay Muther). After all of the Apaches had surrendered, they were sent to reservations spread out across …show more content…
There is over 3 million acres of reservation land that the Apaches live on. There are three primary states that the Apache Reservations are spread throughout, their homeland, Arizona, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. The San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation that the March of Tears led to is still open today. The Apache reservations have many tourist attractions such as museums, casinos, cultural centers, and famous land marks. One famous landmark is San Carlos Lake, the largest lake in Arizona, formed in 1928 and modified in 1994. San Carlos Lake is on the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation, which was established in 1871, in southeastern Arizona. The San Carlos Reservation is made up of two million acres and is also the home of a casino built in 1994 and a cultural center built in 1995. Some Apaches dwell on their traditional homeland in Arizona at the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, which has 1.6 million Acres. It hosts attraction such as the Apache Cultural Center and museum, which opened in 1969, and the Sunrise Park Resort. The Apaches also farm and own ranches, along with working at resorts and tourist Attractions. Unemployment is still high in the Apache Nation even with the jobs that are available. Despite assimilation efforts, the Apache tribe did not lose all of their old ways. The Apache tribe has kept many of their old spiritual beliefs, but