There are many parallels between the United States of America and Canada. For example, they were both former possessions of the British crown, they speak primarily English, and they both dealt with Native Americans. But one important difference was how they treated their indigenous population during westward expansion. The Americans treated the Native Americans as if they were beneath them. They made treaties with the natives only to eventually break them, engaged in open warfare with the natives, and generally disrespected them. In contrast, Canadians honored treaties, generally did not engage in warfare with natives, and respected them as individuals. According to Keith Walden, a history professor at Trent University, one of the main catalysts for this was the North West Mounted Police, now known as the Royal Canadian Mountain Police. Native Americans were treated horribly by U.S. authorities, and some Americans at the border. Throughout their westward expansion, Americans faced the fact that Native Americans occupied the lands to the west. They had an idea known as Manifest Destiny, which was essentially a wish, or goal, for the country to expand to the Pacific Ocean. This idea came to fruition in the 19th century, but to achieve this goal, Americans had to figure out what to do with the sovereign indigenous population. Several times, they signed a treaty by which they forced the Indians to abandon their lands; they would then move them to reservations. Sometimes they “rejected” the treaties and forced the Indians to move again. In other situations, they would engage in open warfare with the Indian nations, which involved near total war. Which means that... middle of paper ... Horn, so he was known as a possible murder. Nevertheless, he was treated with respect and he treated the Mounties with respect. This is an incredible feat, because from the American perspective, he was a ruthless loon who preferred to shoot first and ask questions later. There are various reasons why Mounties have developed a reputation for trust and mutual respect. One of the reasons it did this may have been because it was a British colony and the British had a history of honoring Indian treaties. Another reason could have been that they had an extensive history of trade with the natives, which may have earned them a reputation for valor, which was passed down to various tribes. And finally, the Indians were considered royal citizens in the same way as the other peoples of Canada, so that the gendarmerie could have thought that they were dealing with a simple British subject among others..