In the late 18th and early 19th centuries American settlers pushed westward across the Appalachian Mountains. The Indians were forced to give up large areas of their land. Tecumseh, son of a Shawnee chief, believed that if he could form a great union of Indian tribes the settlers could be stopped.
Tecumseh was born about 1768 near what is now Springfield. Ohio. As a young man he fought bravely in border disputes against white settlers. He and his brother, known as the Prophet, grew up hating white men and fearing their influence on ancient Indian culture. Tecumseh and his brother urged their people to honor the ways of their fathers and reject the advances of a new civilization.
During this period William Henry Harrison, then governor of the Indiana Territory, arranged a series of treaties with some of the Indian chiefs. These treaties provided for United States control of large areas of land. Tecumseh believed that the land belonged to all the Indians and could be ceded only if all the tribes agreed.
In a gigantic effort to stem the tide of the white man's advances, Tecumseh tried to form a vast union of tribes from Florida to the Great Lakes. He traveled many miles wining supporters. While he was on one of his trips, news reached him that the Prophet had been drawn into a conflict with Harrison in Indiana. The battle of Tippecanoe brought defeat to the Indians and an end to Tecumseh's great plan.
Still hoping to check the advance, Tecumseh and his followers joined the British in Canada in the War of 1812 against the Americans. He was given the rank of brigadier general. In a general's uniform he led his troops against the Americans. Again and again the Indians and the British were forced to retreat. On October 5, 1813, at the battle of the Thames near Chatham Ontario, Tecumseh made his last stand. Before leading his men into combat, the brave warrior once again donned the battle dress of his tribe. The Americans, under Harrison, defeated the British, and Tecumseh was killed in the fighting.
Tecumseh was a brilliant and humane leader. At a time when white men lived in dread of Indian savagery, Tecumseh insisted on merciful treatment of captives. Americans respected his wisdom and honesty. Even his old enemy Harrison called him an "uncommon genius."
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