Compare And Contrast Tecumseh And Native Americans

A general history of Native Americans has been a part of my education for as long as I can remember. I remember how during the week before Thanksgiving, my 1st grade class did a skit about the “First Thanksgiving”. In order to look like Indians we made vests out of paper grocery bags and crumpled them up to look like leather and drew on them with crayons. When I think of my education of Native American culture, I think of going to North Pacific Reservations and seeing 10-12 ft tall totem poles with the shapes of animals carved into them. Most of the Native American tribes that I have learned about have been Western United States tribes because I grew up in California. When I read the list of Wisconsin Native

Before the arrival of Europeans in 1492, many tribes had grown and flourished in the Americas. Most tribes had their own organized governments and religions, but some tribes occupied entire regions, such as the Pueblo tribes of the Southwest or the Mississippi River Valley tribes, and were different from the numerous nomadic tribes. They had extensive trade systems, sophisticated farming systems that resulted in a ready supply of food, and thousands of citizens. The two groups had a lot in common, but they also had several differences that distinguished them. The Pueblo tribes had a more developed sense of unity than the Mississippi River tribes, and this unity gave them an advantage that the Mississippi

Shawnee leader, Tecumseh, was not a happy Native. He blamed the greed and oppression of the Europeans for the destruction of the Native American cultures. The Europeans greed led them to strip the land from the Natives, and try in forcing their religion upon the Natives. Tecumseh believed that the land was for all. There was nothing about selling, taking, and giving the land away. The Europeans just did not have that mindset at all. Red Jacket was a Seneca leader. He was very discouraged of the fact that they took the land of the Natives, but even more because they wanted to force their religion upon the Native Americans. The Europeans were ruthless when it came to this. They did not think about their feelings and the actions that could hurt the Natives. (Doc 4, 5, 6)

At first Native Americans, Europeans and Africans were separated by the vast oceans in between their continents, but as technologies and trade in Europe advanced the three region’s worlds collided. There were various similarities and differences in policy, economy and religion amongst the three regions but alas, contact between these empires reaped inevitable change among all these for the better or worse.

Chapter 7 of Alan Taylor’s American Revolutions begins by describing the tense state of affairs between American Patriots and Native Indians in 1775. Both sides feared the other and were determined not to let their enemy defeat them. The Patriots were angry with the British for seeking alliance with the Indians, compromising their “racial solidarity”, in order to gain a military advantage. The Natives believed that American independence would be the catalyst for their downfall into slavery and landlessness. The author moves on to say that this was not the case with all tribes. For example, weak bands of Indians in the Carolinas allied with Patriots and fought in their army in hopes for protection after the war. However, the reality was that

During the 16th and 17th centuries, when the Europeans started to come over to the new world, they discovered a society of Indians that was strikingly different to their own. To understand how different, one must first compare and contrast some of the very important differences between them, such as how the Europeans considered the Indians to be extremely primitive and basic, while, considering themselves civilized. The Europeans considered that they were model societies, and they thought that the Indians society and culture should be changed to be very similar to their own.

Tecumseh’s Speech to the Osages, which he is believed to have given to his fellow Native Americans around 1811, is extremely powerful and passionate. What makes his speech powerful is the fact that it is his response to the events carried out by the colonists toward the Native Americans, which included the stealing of their land and the killing of their people. This clearly has a large impact on Tecumseh and the audience, which is evident throughout the speech.

Tecumseh’s biggest concerns were that his people would not live according to the Prophet which was casting off all elements of the Euro-American society. He believed that his people would turn to alcohol, firearms, and trade goods set out by English ways, which was what the Prophet said, would be detrimental to their ways. No matter what, Tecumseh was going to make sure the Indian way of life would continue forever. He led a revolution of young men who thought the leadership structure needed to be looked over again in order to survive. They fought to make sure The Indians East of the Mississippi to keep control over their home land. Tecumseh tried to visit neighboring tribes to form an alliance to protect the lands held by the Natives. He was successful in the way the Southern tribes would accept the alliance, but unsuccessful with others when some refused to join the reliance, such as the Iroquois tribe.

Historically, the people of the United States and the Native tribes couldn’t live together, they fought because the two sides competed for superiority. The United States Government sought to put an end to the violent clashes with the American people and the Natives tribes. A resolution was the Indian Removal Act, with this, the United States became safer, wealthier, and stronger; And the Natives, which they saw as inferior, would leave. This Act wasn’t easy for the Native tribes, they left the land their ancestors had built them, and experienced a long road ahead of them to rebuild again.

Tecumseh attempted to ally with many tribes, but did not have much success. Tecumseh has read many treaties, but he never signed one (Greenspan). He also made treaties and messages to tribes and governor Harrison. Tecumseh spoke to the Alabama creek Indians and allied with them (Tucker). Many tribes that he tried to join rejected him (Tucker). He allied with the British and pro British Indians to fight the Americans (Fixico). More than two dozen native nations participated

Tecumseh was a Shawnee Indian chief who had been born around 1768 near Springfield, Ohio. During the early 1800s, he started to oppose the United States, and attempted to create a confederation of Indian Tribes to rebel against the United States. One of the main reasons Tecumseh opposed the United States was the fact that white people were squatting on Native American land, and was forcing his people out. Although Tecumseh opposed whites, he knew how to speak their language. Tecumseh was described as a six-foot tall man with “fine” features. He had been rumored to be fluent in English, and most surprisingly, also in French. He also managed to turn his brother’s religious teachings into political movements in order to get his fellow Native Americans to support his movement. [Collins, pg 36-40]

Sir Isaac Brock and Tecumseh may have had a strong alliance but together could not find a way to defeat the freedom-loving American people or it’s president, James Madison. These three men all had powerful leadership roles and largely affected the War of 1812 and changed the future of North America. Tecumseh, the Shawnee war chief, James Madison, the United States President, and Sir Isaac Brock, the British commander of Canada, all had dreams for the future, and the War of 1812 would determine which of these would come true. Tecumseh wanted to preserve the land for his people and get the white men out of the Shawnee’s lives. James Madison wanted the land in order to grow the United States, and be able to offer Americans more opportunities

In the “Address to William Henry Harrison”, Chief Tecumseh uses pathos and causal relationship to propose an offer to General William Henry, while in The Letter to President Pierce by Chief Seattle connotations are being used as well as pathos. Chief Tecumseh calls his audience to bring awareness on how the Spanish are wrongfully taking advantage of the natives and their property. The Spanish had previously succeeded the natives around 1800s in hopes of strengthening their realm. As Chief Tecumseh states, “You are continually driving the red people, when at last you will drive them into the great lake, where they can neither stand nor work.” (L. 14-15). Tecumseh uses emotional appeal to evoke pity towards the native americans in hopes of receiving help from General William. He also uses cause and effect to show

The Shawnee chief Tecumseh a well-known Indian, became famous for his attempt to merge the Native American tribes against the Americans. In 1809 he began his voyage in order to profess his requests. A few years later Tecumseh arrived in the Osage Nation around the region of Oklahoma and tried to influence the Osage Nation with his political agenda. Tecumseh had wanted the Osage Nation to join the pan-Indian confederacy. Jointly with other unique tribes and the military aid of the British troops. Tecumseh the Shawnee chief called upon the Osages to start or commence war against the Americans. The speech Tecumseh presents gives evidence of his political standing.

Like all Native Americans, the Shawnees were viewed savages and godless by Euro-Americans . Euro-Americans are Americans with European blood or they are simply “White”. The views that Euro-Americans or Whites had on the Shawnees are like how majority of minorities are viewed by the Euro-Americans. Nevertheless, Collin Calloway detailed Tecumseh and the Shawnee tribe. The Shawnee and the War for America destroyed this belief that Euro-Americans had on Native Americans as Collin Calloway showed his readers that the Shawnee tribe were well organized as any civilized society at the time. The relationship that the Shawnees had with the Europeans stretched to the British and French conflict in 1754 and from there the relationship with the Europeans