The history of the United States is complex because it is not limited to the War for Independence and the Civil War but includes Native American’s opposition to white people. One of the most violent resistance of Apache nations to American settlers was in the southwest. Geronimo, known for his raids in Mexican lands, was the most prominent leader of these armed conflicts with the American Army. Although the initial encounter between Geronimo and white land explorers was friendly, the later violent acts of gold miners against Chiricahua people resulted in aggression (“We Shall Remain: Geronimo,” 21:10-24:21). Indeed, Cochise, the chief of one of the Chiricahua tribes, known for his excellent leadership and diplomatic skills, rightfully called on revenge that was led by Geronimo (We Shall Remain: Geronimo,” 24:34-24:50). They attacked each other and expressed their anger by murdering civilians. However, since the forces were not equal, Indians were forced into reservations or prisons. Thousands of non-military and military people lost their lives during these armed conflicts that ended with the imprisonment of the leaders and participants of the resistance who were never allowed to return to their homeland.
Although Geronimo might be a hero for some Apache warriors, he was a criminal for Americans and Mexicans. Indeed, “the Mexican government passed laws offering cash payment for Apache scalps” because they could not tolerate Indian raids and theft of their property (We Shall Remain: Geronimo,” 10:12-10:17). Since attacks were considered usual practice for Apaches, they could not understand Mexicans violence against them. The line of war was drawn when the hunters killed Geronimo’s entire family, leaving the warrior in despair and rage. Americans became furious with all Indians in the 1960s because of the continuous armed resistance of the Apaches (We Shall Remain: Geronimo,” 26:35-27:13). The U.S. government had to send armed forces to the region to resolve this issue. However, Geronimo and his supporters repelled the idea of being sent to reservations. For the U.S. Army, he certainly was “a vicious killer capable of murdering without mercy” when he ruthlessly stabbed the farmer and his family who hosted Geronimo’s troop (We Shall Remain: Geronimo,” 55:33-55:35). Unfortunately, this resistance transformed into brutal murders of peaceful white settlers and Indians who refused to fight against Americans by Geronimo.
Geronimo was described in Apache’s stories as a fearless warrior, but many Indians do not consider him a heroic person. He was the last Chiricahua Apache who fought American settlers in the southwest, which made him the symbol of Indian resistance in North America (We Shall Remain: Geronimo,” 1:02:13-1:02:24). Still, Apache suffered because of his actions; thus, many Indian tribes were angry with him and did not “look at him as a hero” (We Shall Remain: Geronimo,” 1:13:07-1:13:16). Geronimo is a complex historical figure who had a long and arduous journey from the war with white settlers to leading President Roosevelt’s inaugural procession, becoming popular among Americans and an antagonist for the Apaches. It was challenging for him to live far from home, knowing that he failed to fight to the death. Geronimo’s survival probably became the main reason for his people’s disappointment in their leader because all the pointless hardship that the Apache nation had to endure was caused by the stubborn nature of one man. Geronimo did not become a hero for his evil deeds, but he remained the symbol of Indian resistance against American oppression.
Works Cited
“We Shall Remain: Geronimo.” YouTube, uploaded by Michael Johnson, 2016, Web.