Chief Joseph: The Most Courageous Man

Chief Joseph was the leader of the Nez Percé, a Native American tribe that occupied the Wallowa Valley. In 1877 the United States ordered the Nez Percé to move to a reservation in Idaho. Chief Joseph resisted all efforts to force his tribe to the reservation, and began to lead his people towards Canada. General Oliver O. Howard, threatened the tribe with a cavalry attack. Over the time frame of four months, Chief Joseph and his group marched toward Canada, bearing the freezing temperatures. The journey consisted of several victories against the U.S. Force. However, it took a toll on the tribe. Chief Joseph and his people were completely exhausted. Having seen the great loss of his people, he surrendered. His surrender speech to General Howard shows the power of words through the use of appeals, arrangement, style, and tone.

Chief Joseph is the leader of the Nez Perce tribe. He led his tribe through many great accomplishments, although he had to end his success in a surrender. On October 5, 1877, Chief Joseph and to announce his surrender speech in the midst of a battle. In his famous speech, I Will fight No More Forever, Chief Joseph effectively uses appeals like ethos, logos, and pathos.

Did Chief Joseph not want to fight anymore, or did he physically and mentally lack the strength? In the surrender speech I Will Fight No More Forever, spoken by Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce (a Native American tribe of the Wallowa Valley in Northwest Oregon) and translated by Lieutenant Charles Erskine Scott Wood, Chief Joseph talks about how the rest of the chiefs or generals are dead. He uses the word killed at first, according to Lieutenant Wood’s translation. After he uses killed for the first time, he goes on to use dead and lets us assume everyone who was dead was killed. This speech was given in the Bears Paw battle on October 5, 1877. He and his people were being forced to move to a reservation, so in retaliation, he tries to move 800 of his people 1,100 miles to Canada. He talks about how he wants to look for his children later on, as well. His tone is sad and dreary, really quite pessimistic. Throughout the text, there were the three appeals: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos. In the speech, they use some more than others – here’s how.

Another cause for poor relations between Native Americans and European Settlers was the constant push for acquiring new land by the Colonists. The Native Americans did not just want to give up their land and this resulted in war between the Indians and the Colonists. During this time Native Americans were sold into slavery belittled and removed from their land, due to the fact that the Colonists had more advanced technology and weapons. One of the major wars was the French and Indian War which resulted in the removal of Native Americans from their land and many casualties on both sides. Over time many battles were fought over land, even after America was an established country with presidents, laws, and court systems. Native Americans were continually pushed out of their land for hundreds of years while they were forced to move west. The constant push of Native Americans out of their land would cause an event known as the Trail of Tears where thousands of Indians were removed from their land by the Indian Removal Act. “In 1830 the Congress of the United States passed the "Indian Removal Act." Although many Americans were against the act, most notably Tennessee Congressman Davy Crockett, it passed anyway. President Jackson quickly signed the bill into law. The Cherokees attempted to fight removal legally by challenging the removal laws in the Supreme Court and by establishing an

Stonewall Jackson, a general for the Confederate Army died in 1863 due to complications from a gunshot wound (“Thomas”). Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson was a general for the Confederate Army during the Civil War. Jackson was most commonly known for his strategy and his men who were very skilled. Despite all of this Jackson was a brilliant tactician and a master at commanding his troops, which is why he is regarded as one of the best generals of the Civil War.

Chief Joseph, Helen Hunt Jackson, and Frederick Jackson Turner all wrote about how they felt that the government treated them differently from others. They described how their families, land, and tribes were affected by the limitations placed on them at the time. Each of the authors gave reasonable explanations to support their feelings towards this unequal treatment.

The significance of the source is that it is one of the few documents that give a window upon the thoughts and belief systems of the Native Americans. Chief Joseph was the leader of the Nez Perce, a Plains Indian tribe. Several passages of the speech are heartbreaking, such as when Chief Joseph mourns the fact that he will not be able to live and die in the land where his own father, the former Chief is buried, saying that only a wild beast could not feel sorrow at his plight. The intense connection to the land felt by the Native American tribe is suggested in the wording, as is the fundamental desire not to

Tecumseh died October 5, 1813 in Chatham-Kent, Canada. He was 45. Tecumseh was born in March 1768 in Chillicothe, Ohio. He was a leader of the Shawnee Tribe and he fought in the War of 1812, Siege of Detroit and the Battle of Thames. His father, Puckshinwa, was killed at the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774. His mother migrated to Missouri. Tecumpease, his older sister, was the one who raised Tecumseh. He and his brother, Tenskwatawa, participated in raids on frontier settlements. By 1800, Tecumseh had become an important war chief. Tecumseh built a confederacy of Indians to fight the white settlers moving into Native American land. While Tecumseh was in the South, the U.S. forces defeated Prophetstown, an Indian

A government surveyor drew a line separating the Wallowa Valley. The Nez Perce objected. The Nez Perce claimed, “the Indians who signed the new treaty were the leaders of other bands and had no right to give up land that was not even theirs” (Williams & Youngs, 5). This is how the Non-Treaty came about. Soon the whites and Indians fought over the land and Indians were killed, one that was best friend with Joseph, he felt like he was is brother. Burial was granted to bury the Indian in the valley by General Howard.

Tensions had been buliding up for many years with the colonists and the Britsh. The Britsh had enough and on the night of April 18. 1775 the Britsh went to Concord and Paul Revere alerted the cononists and then the Britsh were under fire. The cononsits were mad because Great Britan would tax them. The colonsits wouldnt pay for tea that was dumped overboard so King George III closed down the city’s harbor. This led to conflict between the the Britsh and conlonsits. Great Britan was mad because colonsits wouldnt pay taxes and the cononists were mad because they were getting taxed. The cononists were not scared of the strongest army (Great Britan) and did not back out.

Have you ever moved to a new city, state, country, or even continent? The English Settlers did just that, Some of the settlers traveled as far as four thousand two hundred seventy seven miles to Charles town. Moving to a new place can be quite difficult and a hard process. The settlers wanted to settle in Charles Town for religious freedom and over all a new life. Although the settlers wanted to have a new life they ran into some problems once they got to Charles Town. The settlers had difficulties with the Native Americans, they fought over land and territory. Eventually the natives and settlers started to work things out and the settlers began to develop a place to call home.

Some of the main things that Chief Joseph argues about is equality in movement, opportunity, and law. He argues that their tribe should not be moved because all men should have equal rights and if they are pushed out of their land then they cannot grow or flourish. Chief Joseph was talks about if the government listened to them, then he would like to move locations and says, “There my people would be happy; where they are now they are dying” (Joseph 5). The Chief used Pathos to prove that if the government does not do anything soon, then they will soon die and there may not be any Indians left. Another argue was an opportunity. Before the government took over the Indian land, they did not even get a chance to prove what they can do for the

Cochise was a Native American who fought in the west. He was born in 1805. He became the leader of the Chiricahuas and fought with the Americans until he was moved to a reservation in 1872. Cochise was a brave man and in 1874 Cochise died in a prison. He signed a treaty for his tribe and he would stay there in 1772.

Chief Joseph (known as the thunder traveling over mountains) was a great exemplary leader. The Indians were under the impression that they were the only people on the land until some winters ago. When they encountered the two white men, Lewis and Clark (who were on the run from Canadian settlers), The Indians were a bit skeptical of them but Lewis and Clark were upfront and honest with the Indians. Lewis and Clark gave them and the Indians, in return, gave them a meal, tobacco and guns. The Indians was blind-sided by the white men pursuit of building on the land; however, Joseph’s Father was the first one to notice the deceptive schemes of the white men. As result of the white people was eager to make a profit of the land, Joseph’s father immediately

In his hours of liberation from the Comanches, the Chief was John Gedsudski, of Staten Island. He was an extremely shy, gentle young man of twenty-two or -three, a law student at N.Y.U., and altogether a very memorable person. I won 't attempt to assemble his many achievements and virtues here. Just in passing, he was an Eagle Scout, an almost-All-America tackle of 1926, and it was known that he had been most cordially invited to try out for the New York Giants ' baseball team. He was an impartial and unexcitable umpire at all our bedlam sporting events, a master fire builder and extinguisher, and an expert, uncontemptuous first-aid man. Every one of us, from the smallest hoodlum to the biggest, loved and respected him.