Yes, the American government did break treaties with the Apache, as it did with many Native American tribes. The history of U.S.-Apache relations is marked by several treaties that were signed and subsequently violated, often as a result of American expansionism, resource interests, and shifting political priorities. Below are some key examples based on historical records:

1. Treaty with the Apache, 1852 (Santa Fe Treaty):
   • Signed on July 1, 1852, between U.S. representatives (Col. E.V. Sumner and John Greiner) and Apache leaders (including Mangas Coloradas), this treaty established peace and obligated the Apache to refrain from hostilities against the U.S. and Mexico. In return, the U.S. promised "donations, presents, and implements" and to adopt "liberal and humane measures" for the Apache.
   • Violation: The treaty was undermined almost immediately as American settlers and miners encroached on Apache lands, particularly after the discovery of gold and other resources in the Southwest. The U.S. failed to enforce protections against these incursions, and military conflicts, such as the Apache Wars (1860s–1880s), escalated, effectively nullifying the treaty's promises of peace and mutual respect.
2. Treaty of Medicine Lodge Creek, 1867 (involving Kiowa, Comanche, and Apache):
   • Signed on October 21, 1867, this treaty included the Kiowa-Apache (Plains Apache) alongside the Kiowa and Comanche. It established a reservation in Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma) and promised annuities, supplies, and protection in exchange for the tribes relinquishing vast traditional territories.
   • Violation: The U.S. government repeatedly failed to deliver promised supplies and payments, and settlers continued to encroach on reservation lands. Additionally, the reservation boundaries were not adequately protected, leading to conflicts such as the Red River War (1874–1875). The Supreme Court’s 1903 Lone Wolf v. Hitchcock decision further entrenched the precedent that Congress could unilaterally abrogate treaty provisions, undermining the legal standing of this and other treaties.
3. Broader Context of Apache Land Confiscation:
   • While specific treaties like the 1852 agreement aimed to define Apache territory and rights, the U.S. government’s pursuit of Manifest Destiny and economic interests—particularly after the Mexican-American War (1846–1848) ceded Apache lands to the U.S.—led to widespread violations. For example, the Gadsden Purchase (1853) intensified pressure on Apache lands in present-day Arizona and New Mexico, and the U.S. military campaigns against Apache leaders like Geronimo in the 1880s ignored earlier agreements in favor of forced relocation to reservations like San Carlos.

These violations reflect a broader pattern in U.S.-Native American relations, where treaties were often made in bad faith or abandoned when they conflicted with American interests. The Apache, like many tribes, faced broken promises regarding land rights, protection, and sovereignty, leading to prolonged resistance and eventual confinement to reservations under conditions far removed from treaty assurances.

Historical evidence shows that between 1778 and 1871, the U.S. entered into over 500 treaties with Native American tribes, including the Apache, and virtually all were violated in some way—through land seizures, failure to provide promised goods, or unilateral abrogation by Congress after 1871, when treaty-making with tribes was formally ended. The Apache experience aligns with this pattern, as documented in sources like the National Archives’ treaty collections and historical accounts of the Apache Wars.