The historians have maintained that Tecumseh was born in 1768 near Springfield, Ohio. It is believed that the murder of his father by invading Virginia frontiersmen led to his abhorrence of American’s intrusion into Indian homelands. As an adolescent Tecumseh was considered a superior hunter; later he was described as a great warrior. Although he developed a hatred of white invaders Tecumseh was opposed to abuse of war prisoners. Many of the early historians considered him a savage noble. This assumption was probably based on cultural differences. Tecumseh was a phenomenal leader, orator and warrior. In this treatise a discussion of his achievements will confirm that he was rare genius.
As early as the 1780s Tecumseh became a leader of a group of warriors. When the settlers entered the Ohio Valley, the U.S. Army sent General Josiah Harmar to defend the settlements in 1790. Tecumseh also engaged in numerous battles under the leadership of Miami Chief Little Turtle that compelled Harmar’s troops to withdraw. When he was only twenty-three, Tecumseh acted as a scout for Little Turtle’s forces when they fell upon and completely destroyed the army of Arthur St. Clair near the headwaters of the Wabash River in 1791. This was considered one of the most ravaging U.S. nullifications in history. Nevertheless this triumph was ephemeral. William Henry Harrison, Tecumseh’s future nemesis fought their initial battle at the Fallen Timbers in 1794, a loss the Native countries that was conducive to theft of the vast majority of Ohio and additional financial and cultural decline.
Tecumseh was cognizant of the fact that the infiltration of the Americans was leading to the decline of the Indians. The availability of liquor was causing innumerable problems among the Native Americans. It was evident that the yearning for fur was decreasing the population of animals in the forest. Tecumseh asserted that the Indians should adhere to their own culture; which included living independently through agriculture. Although guns were powerful weapons he believed that the tomahawk and the bow and arrow were better weapons for Indians. Tecumseh was strong advocate of self-sufficiency; he knew that the Native Americans were incapable of producing gunpowder or lead they would be compelled to depend on traders.
Tecumseh was determined to unify the Indian tribes; his plan entailed uniting the various Indian tribes into a single entity. He assumed that if a relatively large group of Indians were to organize a confederation, then the United States would be compelled to identify them as a united front and interact with them for that reason. Tecumseh traveled extensively across America to persuade the other tribes to unite. These tribes were located in Florida, the Great Lakes and near the Mississippi. He informed the tribes that if they remained separate they would be weak and eventually governed by the Americans. This great leader maintained that the natural resources such as air and water did not belong to any particular tribe but to all tribes together. He also asserted that no one actually had the right to sell and give away the land without the permission of all of the tribes. Some historians believed that Tecumseh wanted to form a confederation in order to create a common bond between the tribes that would be considered a country like the United States. It was believed by many Americans during that era that Tecumseh was uniting the tribes together and would declare war against the Americans and drive them eastward, back across the Appalachian Mountains.
Tecumseh had a less fortunate brother who suffered with alcoholism and poverty. His actual name was Lalawethka. In 1805 he discovered that he had rare talent; he could predict the future. He was renamed Temskwautawa, “The Prophet.” There are many assumptions pertaining to this revelation and his conversion to spiritualism. Most of the Indians believed that he had converted. In contrast the Americans eventually believed that while he might be a prophet he had acquired his religion from the Shakers. The Prophet became successful as a true leader of the confederation he was began to draw a myriad of Indians to join him. As time passed the new generation of historians contended that Tecumseh realized that he could not play the role of a warrior and a spiritual leader and therefore he turned to his brother to fulfill his dream. It is believed by some scholars that it was Tecumseh who had visions and they passed them to his brother to announce to the world. They began to unite various tribes and individual Indians under one banner at The Prophet’s Town, a small town located along the Wabash River outside of any land granted to the Americans in any previous treaty according to
the historical records. Nevertheless Tecumseh was compelled to contend with many vicissitudes. The prophet was successful in persuading Harrison, the governor of the Indiana territory, to provide the Indians with new village supplies and farming implements. I t was seemingly impossible to deter the white invasions of their territory.
The conflict in the Northwest was worsened by international politics. It appeared that the Indian lands were located at the intersection of two empires the British depended on the Indian nations as a shield to safeguard their fur trading domination in Canada, concurrently, the United States was unwavering in its determination to expand its land. The historians contend that one of the most fundamental issues if a battle occurred was the allegiances of the nations of the frontier. It is not surprising that the British rapidly made a relentless effort to acquire Indian allies simultaneously the governors of Indiana and Ohio attempted to confirm Native impartiality in any war.
One event that infuriated Tecumseh and Tenskatawa was the signing of the treaty of Fort Wayne, which surrendered as much as three million acres at the price of less than two cents an acre. It was revealed that these chiefs surrendered land that their tribes did not have rights to. Tecumseh accompanied by several warriors visited the capital to discuss the Fort Wayne treaty. Harrison was opposed to the unification of the Indians and he refused to make any compromises.
Tecumseh’s most significant theory concerning land ownership, which was mentioned earlier, is indicative of his status as great Indian chief. Some Indian chiefs played favors with federal government and others who intoxicated or bribed yielded land. When he asserted that land ownership among the Indians was a collective prerogative this invalidated many of the earlier treaties and articulated a commanding policy to inhibit the signing of more.
The success of Tecumseh’s plans was contingent on the utilization of the British empire in his fight against the Americans. It has been suggested by some historians that Tecumseh decided to use the advantage generated by the developing War of 1812 to attain aid to protect Native lands.
Tecumseh who was assisted his brother’s religious movement disseminated his political theories about unity to numerous Indian tribes. His success at reaching confederacies was exceptional. Tecumseh was able to overcome linguistic and geographical barriers.
Tecumseh was indubitably a great Indian chief but fate worked against him and he eventually lost a large number of his followers. Harrison was cognizant of Tecumseh’s traveling and in his absence he made plans to destroy the Prophet’s Town. He instantaneously enlisted over 900 men and marched them northward. President Madison was fully aware of the border difficulties but he did not want the United States to become involved in an Indian war. According to history, he did give Harrison some autonomy by permitting him to take any protective actions necessary to maintain armistice in the area. Harrison’s attack did not signify a total American victory. The Battle of Tippecanoe signified a horrendous defeat for the Prophet. He was able to do a pre-dawn sneak attack on Harrison’s army which resulted in the death of more Americans than Indians. Harrison later attacked Prophetstown and burned it down. When Tecumseh returned from the South he was so exasperated by his brother’s inability to anticipate the battle that he forced him to evacuate Tippecanoe.
In many instances Tecumseh exhibited military brilliance. Following the destruction of Prophetstown, Tecumseh united a large number of his coalitions with Indians in the region. During this period conflicts between the British and the Americans were on the verge of exploding into the War of 1812. The historians maintain that when the conflicts began William Hull, governor of Michigan launched an invasion of Canada from Fort Detroit. Tecumseh was able to unify as many as a thousand warriors from various tribes that played a significant role in assisting the British to overthrow the attack and capture Detroit. It has been concurred that Tecumseh did not always need to a large number of warriors to win a battle. During the Battle of Brownstown Tecumseh controlled a force of twenty-four warriors to ensnare and turn around an American column of 150 soldiers, who had started out from Detroit to meet a supply train. It is believed that Tecumseh’s exceptional political acumen was conducive to the expansion of his military triumphs.
Tecumseh was not just a noble savage. The historical research indicates that he was not only a great leader, but also a superior motivator and orator. He was aware of the significance of unity; his theory of unity led to political and military success. Although he was eventually defeated and killed it is evident that made a relentless effort to unite Native Americans and maintain their greatest asset: land.
Bibliography
Blodgett, Brian Dr. “Tecumseh: His Role in the Cause and Conflict of the War of 1812.” Blodgett’s Historical Consulting, https://sites.goggle.com/site/blodgetthistoricalconsulting/tecumseh
Lamphere, Peter. “The Life of Tecumseh: A Native War of Independence.” International Socialist Review 39, (February 2005). http://isreview.org/issues/39/tecumseh.shtml
