Large Role In Tecumseh's Confederation example essay topic

Tecumseh was a very significant Native American who gave his life for what he believed. He knew that the Americans were a tremendous threat to all Indian tribes, and realized that the Indians would be destroyed one by one if not united. Tecumseh created a confederation of thirty-two tribes in hopes that the Americans would recognize their borders and thus put a halt to westward expansion. His confederation may have succeeded if it were not for the mistakes made by his brother, Laulewasika, the Americans violent actions towards the Indian tribes, and the unwillingness of the different tribes to cooperate. Tecumseh was born in March of 1768. His real name was Tecumtha, which meant 'panther lying in wait,' but to the white men he was called Tecumseh which stood for 'shooting star.

' His father was a Shawnee war chief named Puckeshinwa who was an intelligent man that saw the advantage of keeping friendly relations with the Americans (Patriot 137). When Tecumseh was a young boy, his father was shot by a group of settlers that were in the Shawnee's land. When his father did not come home, Tecumseh went out in search of him. When he found his father dying from the wound and learned what had happened he was filled with rage and animosity towards the white people (Patriot 140). Tecumseh was very young at the time of his father's death, so he was raised by his Mother and his brothers and sisters. His mother taught him to hate the Americans and never let him forget that they had killed his father.

His oldest brother Chiksika taught him to be a warrior, and his sister told him to have respect for his elders and to respect all people. A Shawnee chief by the name of Blackfish also adopted Tecumseh into his family, and acted as a father figure. Blackfish saw the Americans as a threat and urged that they had to be stopped. Each of these peoples instilled in him different characteristics which played a large role in the rest of his life (Blodgett).

When he was still young he wanted to stop the settlers from further moving into the Indians land, so himself and a group of Shawnee's made the Ohio River so hazardous that the traffic on the river almost completely stopped (Patriot 142). When he was visiting his sister in Ohio he met a young American girl named Rebecca Galloway. She taught Tecumseh to speak some English and helped him to learn to read. She was a very kind, understanding woman and taught Tecumseh to be humane and have respect for all men (Patriot 146).

Tecumseh fell in love Rebecca and soon asked her to marry him. She told him she would if he would give up his Indian heritage and come live with her as an American (Blodgett). Tecumseh took a month to make up his mind and finally decided that he could not abandon his people. It broke his heart, but he told her that he could not marry her and they went their separate ways (Patriot 147). 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). Tecumseh felt that the Americans were weakening his people by introducing them to liquor and by over-hunting the animals in order to attain their furs (Blodgett). They were also a huge threat to the Indians because they were constantly taking more and more land away from single tribes.

The Americans would seek out small, weak tribes and offer them money and goods for land which was not even theirs. The tribes all shared the land, and Tecumseh felt that no one chief could sell away the land (Blodgett). He believed that by creating a confederation of all the Indian tribes, equaling the American states, the government would be forced to recognize them as a united body and give them the rights they deserved (Blodgett). Tecumseh argued about this with William Henry Harrison The way, the only way to stop this evil, is for all the red men to unite in claiming a common and equal right in the land, as it was at first, and should be now-for it never was divided, but belongs to all.

No tribe has the right to sell, even to each other, much less to strangers, who demand all, and will take no less... Sell a country! Why not sell the air, the clouds and the great seas, as well as the earth? Did not the Great Spirit make them all for the use of his children? (Patriot 155) Tecumseh was a very well respected warrior, and soon had 32 tribes under his confederation (Blodgett).

Tecumseh's brother Laulewasika, also played a large part in the creation of the Confederation and also in its downfall. He was a severe alcoholic until he experienced a spiritual awakening during an epidemic of sickness in his tribe. He was so convinced by this happening that he stopped drinking and changed his name to Tenskwatawa (Sultzman). He believed that he had a 'conversion,' and even many Americans who had been skeptical came to believe he was a prophet.

He preached that the Indians had to return to their old ways of living and must abandon liquor and American goods (Sultzman). He gained many followers and convinced even more when he predicted a solar eclipse, which he probably had learned of from a British almanac. Tecumseh took advantage of his brother's fame, and had him accompany him on his trips to convince tribes to join the confederation (Blodgett). The British also played a large role in Tecumseh's confederation by giving him help. The British did not want war to break out, but they didn't want to lose the support of the Indians (Dictionary 1126). They hoped that if Tecumseh created a confederation and it was recognized by the American government, that this would create a buffer zone between the Americans and the British.

By creating a buffer zone, the Americans could not continue moving westward. Then the British could continue their own western expansion without running into American interference (Blodgett). The governor of the Indiana Territory, William Henry Harrison, was Tecumseh's rival. He greatly feared the confederation because he felt that the uncivilized Indians should not be in obstacle in the western expansion (Blodgett).

He realized Tecumseh's natural leadership abilities and was fearful of him because of that reason. At one point, Harrison got a couple Indian chefs drunk, and then bought their land in Indiana from them. When Tecumseh said that the agreement wasn't valid, Harrison argued that the Shawnee homeland was in Georgia so he had no right to contest the sale (Patriot 152). Tecumseh's Confederation would " ve succeeded if it were not for the overwhelming problems experienced by Tecumseh.

One reason it failed was because many tribes did not want to join. Many tribes did not want to lessen themselves by being under the control of a central authority. Some even couldn't look beyond their past rivalries and refused to join. Also other tribes, particularly in the east, were worn out from previous fighting with the Americans and would not join (Dodson) While Tecumseh was trying to recruit more tribes to join his Confederation, he left his brother at Prophet's Town to watch over the people and told him not to be drawn into a battle. General Harrison had heard of Tecumseh's absence and recruited a group of around 1000 men (Blodgett). He marched towards Prophet Town and camped near the Indians.

When they arrived, the Indians could not decide what to do without Tecumseh there. But a group of Winnebagos convinced Tenskwatawa that they had to attack the whites (Patriot 160). The Indians looked to their prophet Tenskwatawa for a prediction, and he told him that they would defeat their enemy (Blodgett). So early in the morning around 450 Indians attacked the Americans encampment. At the end of the battle the Indians retreated, suffering a loss of around 25 to 40 men. Harrison continued by marching on Prophet's town and burning everything there including the towns food supply (Patriot 161).

After suffering a loss, the Indians lost faith in Tenskwatawa for predicting a victory which they never received. Many Indians abandoned the confederation after this because they felt they did not stand a chance (Blodgett). The Prophet sent word out to all the different tribes what had happened, blaming the Winnebagos for the loss. Groups of Indians attacked settlers in Indiana and Illinois to get back at the Americans. These attacks scared the Americans and soon they raised an army and attacked the individual tribes, and almost starting a war (Blodgett). Finally when the war of 1812 started between the Americans and the British assisted by the Indians, the hopes of a confederation were almost completely lost.

Tecumseh, along with a couple of Indians joined the British army where he was placed at the rank of brigadier-general. But at the Battle of Themes on October 6, 1813 he was killed, forever destroying all hope of there being a Confederation of all the Indian tribes (Dictionary 1127). Tecumseh was a very courageous and honorable warrior who fought and died for his people. Tecumseh saw himself not as a Shawnee, but as an Indian, and knew that his people had no chance to survive if they were not united. His plan to combine all the different tribes under one confederation could have worked if there had not been so much opposition from the Americans..