The Life of Tecumseh
Tecumseh, meaning ‘shooting star’, was a Shawnee chief who eventually became known for organizing a resistance to American encroachment onto Native American land. He was born into the family of war chief Puskchinwa in Ohio around 1768. Tecumseh lived during a turbulent time for Native Americans. During this period, the United States would gain. independence from Britain after the American Revolution, which would result in the nullification of the Proclamation of 1763 which had previously prevented American settlers from settling. further west. Now that this proclamation was no longer in effect, American settlers began pouring westward into Native American lands. This expansion had a profound effect on the Native Americans and caused the destruction and displacement of many Native American tribes.
When Tecumseh was a little boy, his tribe, the Shawnee, sided with the British during the American Civil War, similarly to other Native American tribes. As a result, an American militia led by Rogers Clark burned down his village, forcing his tribe to migrate further north into the interior of Ohio. After the American Revolution the idea of uniting all Native Americans to effectively resist American expansion emerged. A rebellion known as the Little Turtle’s war began. Little Turtle’s war was a rebellion against American encroachment, as many Native Ameircans united into a confederacy against western settlers. Tecumseh and his brother participated in this war and in border skirmishes between the Naitve American confederacy and the United States. In this war, his brother Cheeseekau was killed. His death had a profound impact on Tecumseh as a person. Little Turtle’s war was only moderately successful; it produced some great victories for the Native Americans such as St. Clair’s defeat, but the united Native American front ultimately lost the war due to their final battle at Falling Timbers.
Tecumseh had a sickly young brother named Lalawethinka who was abandoned by their mother. Lalawethinka lacked physical ability and was therefore unable to hunt or become a warrior. He later became the village medicine man, but no one saw him as such because of his history of weakness and his tendency to turn to alcohol to solve his many problems. However, after falling into a deep trance, he had a vision that would change his life. A Native American Spirit called the ‘Master of Life’ came to him and told him that Native Americans had to revert back to their traditional ways. The ‘Master of Life’ decried European ways such as their dependence on guns and consumption of alcohol to be among the worst of sins. From there, he created a Native American religious movement that quickly gained followers. Lalwethinka would change his name to Tenskwatawa meaning ‘open door’. Later, on June 16, 1806, Tenskwatawa would predict the coming of a solar eclipse. This increased Tenskwatawa’s legitimacy among other Native Americans.
Capitalizing on the newfound spiritual authority of his brother, Tecumseh, who had previously been gathering other Native Americans into a resistance movement against the United States joined up with Tenskwatawa, and together they founded a new village in Ohio called Prophetstown. The conditions in Prophetstown were harsh, and the town was often faced with plague and hunger. Tenskwatawa was also sometimes a harsh ruler who sought out to seek and destroy what he considered to be ‘witches’.
As he was still invested in increasing the political power of indigenous groups, Tecumseh ended up becoming a prominent figure as he convinced other Native Americans to join and build up the confederacy. He went on diplomatic missions and met with many other tribes. He traveled westward and even sent a delegation to the Iroquois in New York. He also met with the British to ask for assistance but the British refused to help them.
Meanwhile, governor William Henry Harrison of the Northwestern Territory, the area where Prophetstown resided, was attempting to buy up Native American Territory. Harrison accomplished this by using dubious methods, such as purchasing land from tribes with weak claims to the land while ignoring the tribes with the strongest claim to the land. Prophetstown continued to grow, and Harrison feared that its influence would become a problem. In 1809, the treaty of Fort Wayne was signed between the United States and the Delaware tribe, resulting in the sale of the plot of land where Prophetstown was located. War broke out between the United States and Tecumseh’s confederacy. While Tecumseh was away on a diplomatic mission to other tribes, Harrison found his moment to strike at Tecumseh’s confederacy. Harrison launched a surprise attack on Prophetstown. During the battle of Tippecannoe, the Native Americans, who were outnumbered and had low ammunition, lost the battle and Harrison’s army burned Prophetstown to the ground. Harrison hoped that destroying Prophetstown would lead to the end of the confederacy, but many Native Americans that fled Prophetstown raided the border in revenge. Even if the battle of Tippecannoe was a blow to Prophetstown, Tecumseh’s confederacy would continue.
Sources:
Tecumseh and the Native American Resistance
https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/tecumseh
https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Tecumseh
Tecumseh lived in the Ohio Valley
