Tecumseh: The Shawnee Leader

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.

Tenskwatawa, under the guise of peace, requested a ceasefire from Harrison until the next day when they could discuss terms. However, early on the morning of 7th of November, Tenskwatawa’s warriors attacked Harrison’s encampment. A short battle ensued with both sides taking casualties. Tenskwatawa was eventually forced to break contact with Harrison’s troops when his warriors ran low on ammunition. Following the battle, Governor Harrison approached Prophetstown and found it abandoned. He burned the town and returned to his garrison with his troops. He publically declared the battle a success.

As the United States grew and expanded in the early 1800s, the settlers’ desire for land caused conflict with the Indians who held that land. As a reaction, Indian leaders and brothers Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa created a movement with members from multiple tribes and established a community they called Prophetstown at the confluence of the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers in Indiana. Tecumseh served as the military leader of the community, and Tenskwatawa served as the spiritual leader (Center for Military History, 2014). After a treaty signed by some Indian leaders gave territory to the Indiana territory, the brothers claimed it was illegitimate and began raids against settlers to resist settlement of the disputed territory (Center for Military History, 2014).

The results of the victory of the Battle of Thames is that the problem of the U.S. victory over the British and Indian forces in Ontario, Canada. This enabled the United States to increase their power over the Northwest. While the U.S. power had gotten stronger, the victory had also put an end to the British’s threat to the Northwest. During the battle, a leader of them Shawnee native americans Tecumseh has been killed. Tecumseh was leading a tribal confederacy against the U.S. which he suddenly joined the British in the War of 1812.

There was growing civilization practices that were pressed upon the decreasing population on Native American Indians. Some of the Indians were rethinking their opposition while others, led by a Native American Prophet named Tecumseh, began fighting to resist. There were reports that Great Britain was the one fueling the Native American resistance of Tecumseh. With Great Britain interfering with U.S trade, the Royal Navy’s impressment of American sailors, and inciting Indian attacks on the American frontier, President James Madison was determined to go to war. James Madison asks congress to declare war on Great Britain.

Tecumseh slowly transformed his brother's religious following into a political movement. In 1808 Tecumseh and the Prophet moved their village to the juncture of the Tippecanoe and Wabash rivers, where the new settlement, Prophetstown, continued to attract Indians. After the loss of much Indian land at the Treaty of Fort Wayne, Tecumseh gradually eclipsed his brother as the primary leader of the movement. He traveled throughout the Midwest urging tribes to form a political confederacy to prevent any further erosion of their lands. In November 1811, while Tecumseh was in the South attempting to recruit the Creeks into his confederacy, U.S. forces marched against Prophetstown. In the subsequent Battle of the Tippecanoe they defeated the Prophet, burned the settlement, and destroyed the Indians' food supplies. After returning from the South Tecumseh tried to rebuild his shattered confederacy. But when the War of 1812 broke out, he withdrew to Michigan where he assisted the British in the capture of Detroit and led pro-British Indians in small actions in southern Michigan and northern Ohio (Fort Meigs). When William Henry Harrison invaded Upper Canada, Tecumseh reluctantly accompanied the British retreat. He was killed by American forces at the Battle of the Thames on October 5, 1813. Although they never found the body of

Tecumseh's childhood greatly influenced how he acted as an adult. He knew that the Americans had to be stopped but he did not want to fight them. When fighting was the only choice, he had a reputation for his mercy. He despised the torture of prisoners and other cruel actions done by both sides during warfare. He was an honest man, and was trusted by both the Americans and Indians (Dictionary 1125).

They both went to fight the white settler’s. During a raid Cheeseekau was killed and Tecumseh was made the leader of a small Shawnee tribe. Tecumseh had led four hundred warriors from Prophetstown. During this was Tecumseh discussed with Britain to re-control parts of Ohio, Michigan and more, but were forcefully taken by the U.S. The battle of Thames began in 1813. But the British troops abandoned during the course of the battle, leaving tecumseh’s troops to fight alone. This day was a horrendous day for the Shawnee crew this was the day that Tecumseh met death October 5,1813.

The Cherokee, a very large tribe, lived in the region of the Smokey Appalachians Mountains. The Cherokee were forced to relocate to the Appalachian Mountains after they were defeated at war by the Delaware. The tribe was divided into seven clans. The tribe’s men were not allowed to marry within there tribes, this was a great taboo in the Cherokee society. The seven tribes inhabited North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Alabama, Virginia and Georgia. Once the man married he left his tribe and went to live with his wife’s tribe. They spoke the Iroquoian language.

The Powhatan’s attacked 30 different towns along the James River leaving them in shock and fright. We have since learned that the new chief of Powhatan’s tribe, Chief Opechancanough has lead these attacks on the English. We believe he is going all the way with this fight because the English murdered his brother Powhatan.

Tecumseh was a Shawnee Native American chief, also known to be a prominent war chief. Tecumseh was born around 1768 south of our present-day Columbus, Ohio. He make an attempt to unify an alliance of all the areas tribes that the “whites” were trying to invade areas. Tecumseh and his supporters joined forces with the British to fight against the United States during the War of 1812. Tecumseh was murder in the Battle of the Thames, which was in Canada. ( http://www.pbs.org, n.d.)

The old Cherokee nation was a large thriving tribe located in northern Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama, and Tennessee, which was a region known as Appalachia. Because of greedy landowners wanting more money, land for themselves and land for their crops, this forced the Cherokees out of their land and into another region. The government, specifically Andrew Jackson, wanted the land because it was land that he “needed”. He needed this land because he felt it would increase the white population and give him more wealth and power. He enforced a removal of the Cherokee nation and all natives in the south. This removal would later be known as “The Trail of Tears.”

Tecumseh was know for all of his bravery in wars. After all of his land was loss Tecumseh kept on looking until they found the Tippecanoe. While Tecumseh was away from his village the US army's attack and destroyed there supplies. Tecumseh join the British and help them capture Detroit and then Tecumseh was killed by the US forces. The British remember him as a very strong

In Trail of Tears, John Ehle introduces the people and events that led to the Trail of Tears, and the removal of the Cherokee Nation to Indian Territory. In the “Indian Territory” the Indians were promised that whites

Tecumseh's speech was perhaps the most famous of all Indian speeches about the attitude towards nature. He gave his speech with honor and rage at the same time. It is still a brilliant piece of work, the passion, and power with which he argues about the view of how American Indians feel about land and resources. The argument he makes in the speech is very intellectual and is difficult to defend. His speech has a lot to say about the evidence presented with specific instances, or examples, to make his claim. I was very impressed by it. We can learn a lot from it and how the earth is supposed to be respected. It is like a hidden treasure. Thank you again for sharing. Theresa