Tecumseh

Highly intelligent and widely respected, Shawnee Indian Chief Tecumseh attempted to assemble various Indian tribes in an effort to fight off white settlement into the center of the North America, namely the Ohio and Mississippi valleys. Tecumseh was eventually unsuccessful, but his brave and principled stand made him a respected figure in both the Indian and white cultures.

Public domain image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Public domain image courtesy Wikimedia Commons

Brief Overview

In the early 1800's Tecumseh became increasingly concerned over the Native American's reliance on trade with the white man. He was even more bothered by the continuing advancement of the white settlers westward. Tecumseh knew that he needed to take action.

Tecumseh quickly began a concerted effort to persuade the Indians to unite and resist the white man's invasion. Together, Tecumseh told the various tribes that together, they had the strength to stop the whites. Uplifted by this idea, Indians from as far away as Florida and Minnesota answered Tecumseh's call. By 1810, he had assembled the Ohio Valley Confederacy, which united Indians from seven different tribes.

For over a year, Tecumseh's Indian Confederacy successfully delayed further white settlement in the area. In 1811, however, the future president William Henry Harrison led an attack on the confederacy on the Tippecanoe River. At the time, Tecumseh was in the South trying to convince more tribes to join his movement. Although the battle of Tippecanoe was a close, hard-fought battle, Harrison finally won out and destroyed much of Tecumseh's army.

When the War of 1812 began the following year, Tecumseh immediately ordered what was left of his army to aid the British. Appointed the title of Brigadier General, he proved an effective ally and played a big role in the British capture of Detroit. But when the tide of the war turned in favor of the Americans, Tecumseh's fortunes went down with those of the British. On October 5, 1813, he was killed during Battle of the Thames. His Ohio Valley Confederacy and dream of Indian unity died with him.

Tecumseh commemorative Shawnee Nation dollar (2002 issue)

Public domain photo courtesy Wikipedia/Rosser1954