The Shawnee Chief Tecumseh Speech

They cried, they wept, they grew stronger. It was a story of hope, courage, and survival. This was the Trail of Tears. Many events led up to the Cherokee’s removal. The Indian Removal caused the Cherokee indians to move west. A man named Major Ridge struck lots of bargains with the United States. This man, Major Ridge, was one of the native sons, born in 1771, that lived in the Cherokee territory. The Cherokee’s lived in the Christians Eden because they believe their ancestors once lived in the same area. Throughout Major Ridge’s youth years, the Shawnees, Choctaws, Chickasaws, the Creeks, and the United States endangered the Cherokees. Mr. Ridge and his family watched his town get burnt down by riflemen due to picking the wrong side during the American Revolution. The Cherokees watched their world change all around them. The Cherokee population dwindled to 12,000 in 1805, and lost over half their precious land. The United States wanted the Cherokees land, and for them to move west. The Americans offered a path for them to walk down. The Americans developed a policy called civilization which taught the Cherokees how to grow wheat; how to eat meals at regular set times instead of when ever they pleased, how to dress; how to speak English; how to pray in church at certain set times. The United States wanted all the tribes to be equivalent of their white neighbors. Thomas Jefferson states that they could be equal to the whites. John Ross was the future Cherokee chief; he grew

Harvard graduate and civil rights activist, W.E.B. Du Bois, gave his memorable “Niagara Movement" speech to preach the demands of African Americans. The main purpose of his speech was to persuade the nation that the way African Americans had been treated was no longer acceptable, and that it was time our country made some changes. Through his use of allusions, logical ideas, and knowledge of the faults of other parties, Du Bois eloquently delivered a list of desires on behalf of the entirety of his race.

Both Chief Tecumseh and Chief Seattle use rhetorical devices in order to evoke change in their audience’s actions. Chief Tecumseh calls for his audience to unite against the injustice of the settler’s expansionist ideals. Through the use of comparison, Tecumseh introduces their illogical and flawed ideals. Tecumseh states, “Sell a Country? Why not sell the air, the great sea, as well the Earth?” (Address to General William Henry Harrison). The selling of the Native’s land is compared to the selling of the sea and Earth. This demonstrates how illogical it is for the settler’s to take their land, due to the fact that owning land is a god given right that is for everyone just like air and the sea. Furthermore, it shows the audience, who in 1795

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.

In David Foster Wallace’s Commencement Speech, he opens with a short parable about how a fish greets two other fishes and ask them how’s the water today, this parable introduces us to his message which is changing that default setting which is hard-wired into our brains to have a life worth living. I agree with his statement because this is’nt just the first time this formula has been brought to our attention. Many success people have said this statement in some form or fashion, we can even look at David Sedaris’s commencement speech.

After the Barbary wars were over in 1806, American sailors were often under threat of being impressed by the British men of war to support their navy during the Napoleonic Wars. This caused much outrage throughout all of America. Another cause of increased tensions was the increased frequency of conflicts between the white settlers in western lands with the Native Americans. Many of the indians would go to British Canada or Spanish Florida to seek assistance in fighting against the Americans. The British were especially happy to assist inirectly at the very least. The convergence of many of the indian tribes under Tecumseh united the Americans in the northern and southern frontiers into a group known as the War Hawks that were unified in defense of their values and the western expansion of the United States. It was at this point that the idea of

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.

Tecumseh who continued to be infuriated by the whites expansion, led him to establish a British allied army against the United States. Terrestrial and Naval battles occurred with the British and Native American allies that in the end,made a significant victory for the United States. Tecumseh’s death at the Battle of the Thames, near the Canadian border, made the Indian alliance fall. This led a British retreat that ended the War of 1812. The events that killed Tecumseh had helped to secure the young nation in the world's ever growing

The Omaha Chief Big Elk commented on the effect of the white migration to the West across the Overland Trails while visiting Washington D.C. He stated eloquently, “there is a coming flood which will soon reach us, and I advise you to prepare for it.” An estimated 500,000 people made the journey West to California and the Willamette Valley between the years 1840 – 1870. However, much like the first rains in a wet season, benefits were found in the first storm of white emigrants heading west. Native people were able to cooperate with white emigrants and benefit from trading with them. But the storms continued, emigrants as plentiful as rain drops came through the Indian lands and eventually, the prophecy of a great flood Chief Big Elk spoke of came true. Overtime, whites used up the limited resources of the plains tribes, depended on one another instead of Indians for help, and used force rather than compromise to clear the way for the expansion of the West.

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]

. The Chickasaw, Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole nations were the only 5 major tribes that were highly affected from the Indian removal acts and were forced into Indian reservations ex. Doc D. The Indians were highly influenced by Tecumseh and gave him immediate obedience and respect for he was an “uncommon genius, which spring up occasionally to produce revolutions or overturn the established order of things” ex Doc. C. Yet due to the want vs. need for land the vicinity of the United States when Tecumseh died in the Battle of Thames from American forces. Tecumseh’s goal of establishing a independent Indian nation were clearly ruined and the recruitment of the 5 nations up towards the east of the Mississippi river.

"It gives me pleasure to announce to Congress that the benevolent policy of the Government, steadily

In class we were shown a recording of the speech, “A call to men”. The first thing I noticed was the title, which made me immediately assume it was going to be a female speaker that was going to speak about feminism; or something along those lines. To see a man giving the speech grabbed my attention instantly. The man giving the speech was Tony Porter, and his audience was mostly women, who made me think, “Is this guy going to be giving a speech about feminism?” While listening to his speech I felt guilty for being quick to judge, because his speech was actually about growing up as a male, and being masculine is today’s society. While Tony Porter was giving his speech, he brought up stories that without a doubt every guy in our class could relate to that left many of us saying, “Wow”.

Tecumsen and Tenskwatawa – Calling for a return to traditional Native American practices, these brothers created a powerful pan-indian military movement and eventually allied with the British in order to stop Anglo-American expansion