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The Battle Of Tippecanoe By William Henry Harrison

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The Battle of Tippecanoe was one of the major steps towards the War of 1812. It took place on November 8, 1811, in a clearing near Prophet’s Town. It was also perhaps one of the most controversial battles in the War of 1812. Although a peace treaty had been made one day prior before the Battle of Tippecanoe, the Native Americans attacked, which caused the American soldiers to fight back, who were led by General William Henry Harrison. The Native Americans had been led by Tecumseh, a Shawnee Indian Chief. The Battle of Tippecanoe was a controversial battle which the Natives Americans started, and ultimately, lost.

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]

Tecumseh’s brother, the Prophet, was not nearly as famous.

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