What was the name of the US policy that removed Navajos from their homelands for the Navajo long walk?

Answer 1

There is not really a name for it other than the Navajo Wars. The American Army assumed nominal control over the Southwest in 1846. They did not actually control the territory nor had the Mexicans or the Spanish before them. Starting with the Bear Springs treaty of Nov 21 1846, there were a series of escalating conflicts between the US, the New Mexico Spanish now under US control, the new American settlers coming in and the Navajo and the Pueblo peoples of the Rio Grande. The first real American attack was August 16, 1849 when Col. John Washington, the military governor of New Mexico entered Navajo lands with 1000 infantry (US and New Mexican volunteers), hundreds of horses and mules, a supply train, 55 Pueblo scouts, and four artillery guns. On August 29–30, 1849, Washington's men began pillaging Navajo cornfields. Mounted Navajo warriors tried to push them off. Col. Washington thought he could pillage Navajo crops because the Navajo would have to reimburse the U.S. government for the cost of the expedition. It went down hill form there. There were a number of "treaties" but there was no Navajo who could actually speak for all others of force anyone to comply. Navajo culture and leadership does not work that way. The army continued to break treaties and attack. The Navajo continued raids for livestock and retaliation. The New Mexicans wanted the land. The pueblo people wanted to be defended. in 1860 400 New Mexicans under Manuel Antonio Chaves formed a militia and raid Navajo land, followed by independent raids by citizens to take captives. Also that year the Navajo forced the Americans out of Fort Defiance area. They raided Santa Fe area for sheep .In 1861 an incident with cheating at a horse race ended in a killing of Navajos..
Then the Civil War started. With the Confederates coming the army was distracted and the Navajo increased their raids. In 1862 it was said the Navajo stole 30,000 sheep. The Colorado Volunteers and New Mexico militia forced the Confederates back to Texas. General Carleton arrived with the California Volunteers but the battles were over. He turned to attacking the Navajo. He told them that everyone had to surrender by July 20 1863. When of course they did not he ordered Kit Carson to begin a scorched earth campaign against them. Between September 1863 and January 1864, Carson and his men chased and killed the Navajo Crops were burned, stock was confiscated, hogans were burned. Without food or shelter in the snowy high altitude winters the Navajo began to surrender in 1864. They were forced to walk 300 miles or more over 18 days in many different groups.There were about 50 different groups and about 7 different routes. By 1865 9,022 were at Bosque Redondo. 200 or more people died on the way. In the camps between 1865 and 1868 about half died from disease and hunger and Comanche raiding. Corruption by the soldiers was rampant. It was a scandal. As a result the Navajo were allowed to return to a portion of their homelands. today there are 300,000 enrolled Navajo members. The Navajo Nation is about 27,000 sq miles. It is about the same size as Holland and Belgium combined. The majority of Navajo still speak Navajo language.