Book Description

Over the past twenty-five years, Carson's legacy has been the topic of intense debate among western historians, many who have suggested that Carson was racist, that he sought out and killed Navajos, destroying their sheep and food supply - that he played a major role in the forced removal of the Navajos from their traditional homelands in the Southwest. Though this theory has gained credence with the public, other scholars dispute those accounts and portray Carson, who lived alongside Indians most of his life, as a kind man who reluctantly fought several tribes only after joining the army. Carson's true actions and motivations are the subject of Kit Carson: Indian Fighter or Indian Killer? This volume brings together a distinguished group of western historians who explore the latest research on Carson in a attempt to separate fact from fiction by shedding further light on Carson's life.