Kit Carson & the Indians

Often portrayed by past historians as an Indian fighter in the West, Kit Carson (1809-68) has become a historical pariah - a brutal murderer who betrayed the Navajos, an unwitting dupe of American expansion, and a racist. He was simply a man of the 19th century whose racial views and actions were like those of his contemporaries. Often portrayed by past historians as the greatest guide and Indian fighter in the West, Kit Carson (1809–68) has become in recent years a historical pariah—a brutal murderer who betrayed the Navajos, an unwitting dupe of American expansion, and a racist. Many historians now question both his reputation and his place in the pantheon of American heroes. In Kit Carson and the Indians, Tom Dunlay urges us to reconsider Carson yet again. To Dunlay, Carson was simply a man of the nineteenth century whose racial views and actions were much like those of his contemporaries.