If Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa had been successful in unifying the tribes, there was no guarantee that they would work together fluidly. Each tribe came with their own enemies and problems, making it near impossible to completely avoid internal conflict. Once past these problems, they would have had to come up with a strategy for fighting expansion. If they wished to avoid bloodshed, they would have to take the diplomatic route. Diplomacy in this time period was not on the same level it is today. Whites were seen as full persons, whereas blacks, Native Americans, etc. were seen as less than a full person. Due to this, the American government was less inclined to listen and reason with the Natives. Another issue was the language barrier that would …show more content…
come between them. Instead of the American’s learning the native languages, it was more common and expected for a Native American to learn English. Even if the Shawnee tribe was able to reach an agreement diplomatically with the Americans, there was no way to be certain that this promise would be kept. One party might renege on the agreement if they saw an opportunity arise. Most importantly, the Native Americans were afraid. If anything went wrong, they would be forced to leave their homes, the homes of their ancestors. Anything of importance would most likely be lost in the confusion. After finding a new place to live, they would have to fight to keep that land as well. Anywhere they went there would be a struggle for land and power somewhere nearby. It was understandable for these peoples to shy away from interaction with those that they didn’t trust. In response to the question asking if Tecumseh’s Pan-Indian movement could have been successful: this is possible, but the victory would not have lasted indefinitely.
There would have been other factors, perhaps other civilizations hoping to expand territory, which would force the Indians to leave their dwellings. Internal struggles held the power to pull the people apart. Once they succeeded in unifying the people, there was a chance for betrayal as well. Benedict Arnold could have given the British valuable land had he not been caught, and the same could be said for traitors of the Indian tribes. Too many factors come into play for a definite and clear answer. In the author’s opinion, the American’s were far too perseverant for the Tecumseh’s pan-Indian movement to have been successful. A win for the Shawnee and the other tribes would likely lead to another fight, and another, and another, until one of the two contenders was totally defeated. No matter where the fight was; on the battlefield or in the courtroom, nothing was …show more content…
certain. Tecumseh was far more influential than his brother due to the respect he had prior to expansion. The Prophet on the other hand, was seen as a drunkard, who’s “visions” were the result of detoxification and frequent drug use. At one point he was believed to be dead and remained unconscious for over two days. In general, drunkards are not the most inspiring people, and it made it quite difficult for Tenskwatawa to be taken seriously by his kinsmen. When he appeared to predict a solar eclipse, the people were so awestruck that they believed him to have mystical powers. Though he claimed to have spiritual abilities beforehand, they had never thought him to be a prophet or a spiritual leader. Over time, there would be far more European settlers than natives, leading to the fight between a large and small population. It would be difficult, but not impossible for the Native Americans to win. A good example of majority vs. minority, as seen during this time, is the fight for black rights and women’s suffrage. There were far more women than African Americans at this time, but white males (mostly landowners) held the most power. This was the case in most European occupied countries and nations. Women may have been closer to the majority than white males, yet the males were stronger, and thus had more say in matters. When it came to women’s suffrage, it was a struggle between the “weak” and the “strong”. In the case of the African American’s, they were the minority and the whites were the majority. The two groups mentioned were able to prevail using several methods. They were able to gain support from some white males and other women and African Americans. In addition to this, they gathered in groups and protested, sometimes refusing to use a service. This emphasized their importance in the community. Women often held rallies and gave speeches to the public, listing the reasons they were rebelling, and illustrating the need for women to have equal rights as men. As time went on, the Shawnee tribe may have turned to these methods, as long as their voice was heard by the American people. When compared to the famous Trail of Tears, the Shawnee’s plight is lesser known in modern society. The Shawnee were not able to stay in their native lands, much like the Cherokee, and migrated several times after leaving. Several hundred Missouri Shawnee left the United States in 1815 together with some Delaware people and settled in Texas, which was at that time controlled by Spain. This tribe became known as the Absentee Shawnee; they were once again expelled in 1839 after Texas had gained its independence three years earlier. These people settled in Oklahoma, close to present-day Shawnee and were joined, in 1845, by Shawnee from Kansas that shared their traditionalist views and beliefs. The religious uprising led by Tenskwatawa led to the establishment of the Shawnee Confederacy. Tenskwatawa’s original name was Lalawethika, and would later become known as the Shawnee religious leader “The Prophet”. After he made the transition from the lowly Lalawethika to the praised Prophet, he made the founding of the Shawnee Confederacy possible. Through his religious influences, he and his elder brother Tecumseh were able to set unification into motion, but they were not able to do so fast enough. Tecumseh often used Lalawethika’s fame, as well as his own, to gather support, especially when it came to fighting expansion. Though it may seem that these two men were working separately, it was in fact through cooperation and teamwork that they were able to do many of the things we remember them for. Their achievements often had one of the brothers in the spotlight, and the other behind the scenes. For instance, Tecumseh is the more well-known of the two siblings, for when one searches for “The Prophet”, many of the sources found are of different religious leaders. These leaders were mainly Christian, whereas Tenskwatawa was not. In fact, Tenskwatawa rejected all things European, and Christianity was among them. Regardless, without him, Tecumseh would not be the man history makes him out to be. He would still be known as a skilled hunter and warrior, but not as the leader who supported unification and fought the whites. If Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa had been able to start unifying the several tribes beforehand, or if they had gathered more support separately, their combined forces may have been able to succeed in stopping the whites from taking precious territory and hunting grounds from them. Perhaps they would have gathered support from other countries, or made peace with their neighbors. It was possible for them to make treaties with nations such as the French or the British. But no matter what, these two men would have to work together to claim their victory on the literal and diplomatic battlefield. The elder warrior, Tecumseh, remains famous for his hunting prowess and military expertise, and his brother is remembered as an alcoholic turned spiritual leader. Separated, the newly redeemed Tenskwatawa may still have been seen as a drunkard, a failure, and the clear opposite of a skilled hunter.
He was only accepted after a coincidental prediction, but what solidified his public appearance was his work with Tecumseh. Tecumseh was still a role model, a skilled military leader in addition to hunter, and according to the women of that time, not weak in the looks department. When brought together, however, the brothers would work on matters affecting most, if not all of the tribes. They would propose a solution, alternative methods to fighting, a way to fight against the whites, and a way to keep their homelands. Such ideas came from both parties. Tecumseh and Tenskwatawa both encouraged non-consumption of European goods, and as little contact with them as possible. They wanted the tribes to unite in order to be harder to move from their homes, and they wanted to keep all that was sacred to them safe. Had they been separated, much of this would not be
possible.
Tecumseh had risen up as a leader to defend the Shawnee’s way of life. Through decades of violence, he emerged to have a pivotal role in attempting to smooth cultural divisions between tribes and collectively oppose the seizure of their land.
In the essay, “The Trail of Tears” by author Dee Brown explains that the Cherokees isn’t Native Americans that evaporate effectively from their tribal land, but the enormous measure of sympathy supported on their side that was abnormal. The Cherokees process towards culture also the treachery of both states and incorporated governments of the declaration and promises that contrived to the Cherokee nation. Dee Brown wraps up that the Cherokees had lost Kentucky and Tennessee, but a man who once consider their buddy named Andrew Jackson had begged the Cherokees to move to Mississippi but the bad part is the Indians and white settlers never get along together even if the government wanted to take care of them from harassment it shall be incapable to do that. The Cherokee families moved to the West, but the tribes were together and denied to give up more land but Jackson was running for President if the Georgians elects him as President he agreed that he should give his own support to open up the Cherokee lands for establishment.
As Tecumseh got older, he started to provide for those who could not get food on the table for their families, and he was also very helpful. He was know for the kindness and concern he showed for his tribe members. When he became a warrior, he refused to take part in the Treaty of Negotiations, and this made a good impression on the people of his tribe, so this increased his standing among his followers. Tecumseh built a confederacy among N...
Tecumseh was known as a warrior. He fought the battle of the Ohio River Valley territory
The American Indians were promised change with the American Indian policy, but as time went on no change was seen. “Indian reform” was easy to promise, but it was not an easy promise to keep as many white people were threatened by Indians being given these rights. The Indian people wanted freedom and it was not being given to them. Arthur C. Parker even went as far as to indict the government for its actions. He brought the charges of: robbing a race of men of their intellectual life, of social organization, of native freedom, of economic independence, of moral standards and racial ideals, of his good name, and of definite civic status (Hoxie 97). These are essentially what the American peoples did to the natives, their whole lives and way of life was taken away,
Unfortunately, this great relationship that was built between the natives and the colonists of mutual respect and gain was coming to a screeching halt. In the start of the 1830s, the United States government began to realize it’s newfound strength and stability. It was decided that the nation had new and growing needs and aspirations, one of these being the idea of “Manifest Destiny”. Its continuous growth in population began to require much more resources and ultimately, land. The government started off as simply bargaining and persuading the Indian tribes to push west from their homeland. The Indians began to disagree and peacefully object and fight back. The United States government then felt they had no other option but to use force. In Indian Removal Act was signed by Andrew Jackson on May 18, 1830. This ultimately resulted in the relocation of the Eastern tribes out west, even as far as to the edge of the Great Plains. A copy of this act is laid out for you in the book, Th...
Tecumseh ,Shawnee war chief, was born at Old Piqua, on the Mad River in western Ohio. In 1774, his father, Puckeshinwa, was killed at the Battle of Point Pleasant, and in 1779 his mother, Methoataske, accompanied those Shawnees who migrated to Missouri, later died. Raised by an older sister, Tecumpease, Tecumseh would play war games with other fellow youths in his tribe. Tecumseh accompanied an older brother, Chiksika, on a series of raids against frontier settlements in Kentucky and Tennessee in the late 1780’s. Chiksika had a vision that he would not survive the battle at Buchanan’s station he went ahead as plan and attacked the stockade and was mortally wounded and was carried from the battle field and the dying warrior asked not to be buried but to be placed on a hill. Tecumseh and the other’s retreated back to a Cherokee village where most went back to Ohio while Tecumseh and some other warriors stayed behind. After that Tecumseh went on mostly hunting but occasionally attacking settler’s. After that moved back towards home and come to find out that the Shawnee’s had moved on to where it’s much safer. The battle of Fallen Timber’s broke confidence in British assistance as well as many casualties. Pissed off by the Indian defeat, he refused to sign the Treaty of Greenville (1795). In the 1800’s Tecumseh began to show signs of a prominent war chief. He led a group of yong Indian warriors to a village on the White River in east-central Indiana. There in 1805 Lalawethika ex...
Had refusing the treaty that America tried to force on them hurt the Plateau Indians severely? Did retaliation cause them to almost come to complete annihilation? My position is that yes, the Plateau Indians made a bad decision when they refused the treaty by the United States, and that more of the Indians would have survived if they’d just moved on to the reservation like they were asked. None of the Yakima Wars would have happened if the Indians would’ve just extinguished their pride, and went peacefully onto a reservation where their people did not have to worry about fighting the whites. The main cause of this conflict was the desire of the United States citizens to move west. If they hadn’t believed in Manifest Destiny, and had the pioneers and government not wanted Indian territory, the treaty would have never been made and the Indians wouldn’t have retaliated the way they did.
“ [They] spent most of the conquest and colonial periods reacting and responding to the European strangers and invaders” (99). Both sides were different in many ways; Their communication, transportation, culture, and the way they survived differentiate the Europeans from the Native Americans. They both acted as wisely as they could when this encounters began after the discovery. “[Tribes] worked mightily and often cleverly to maximize their political sovereignty, cultural autonomy, territorial integrity, power of self identification, and physical nobility” (100). The Europeans were stronger, had better technology, better weapons, and had plenty of experience fighting people like the Native Americans. They could have easily conquer them , but they had a problem of resources, reinforcements and survival. Native American were many but they lacked the knowledge and experience of war and evolution. Europeans were technologically evolved and were experienced at fighting wars, but they ...
The clash between the Native Americans and the colonists did not start off tumultuous. In the early days of the exploration and settlement of the New World they lived in peace. The Indians taught them how to farm and live off the land. In a strange land the colonists made an ally. However, the subsequent turn of events was inevitable. Perhaps the chaos that ensued could have been postponed but there was never going to be a peaceful cohabitation between the colonists and the indigenous people. There were so many vast differences between the religious views and ultimate goals of the two groups. The Native Americans had established trade relationships with various tribes, they had their own religions, and their way of life was a stark contrast to that of the colonists. The worldview of the respective peoples was foreign to the other and the idea of a holistic and unbiased approach to the life of others was foreign.
Westward expansion was the greatest method to achieve the grouping of the natural resources found and use them as needed. To gain access to the western part of the country the white settlers had to pass through the Native Americans. While pushing westward the white culture clashed with the plain indians and their culture. As a result of this clash bloody battles surged and the white settlers were victorious and the government restricted the Native American lands to small portions. The government supported assimilation, which was the plan to unite the Native American culture with the white one.
...enefitted them more than if they did stay. The whites wanted the Cherokee land and would take it by force if they had to. On their own, the Cherokee would not have been able to survive with their outdated methods of living which was inefficient. The Cherokee living among the whites would not have turned out well since the whites did not associate and relate themselves to the Cherokee which created conflict and rivalry between both groups. Since the takeover of Cherokee land seemed inevitable, the Cherokee should have accepted relocating and adopted the ways of the white people. The Cherokee should have realized that the whites were a flourishing powerhouse in comparison.
The cries from Americans did not stop President Van Buren from giving General Winfield Scott orders to remove the Cherokees. The Cherokees, despite their grossly horrific predicament, still were proud. They were once a great people, and they maintained that they would remain that way.
Despite the fact that these agreements were a clear violation of existing British law, they were used later to justify the American takeover of the region. The Shawnee also claimed these lands but, of course, were never consulted. With the Iroquois selling the Shawnee lands north of the Ohio, and the Cherokee selling the Shawnee lands south, where could they go? Not surprisingly, the Shawnee stayed and fought the Americans for 40 years. Both the Cherokee and Iroquois were fully aware of the problem they were creating. After he had signed, a Cherokee chief reputedly took Daniel Boone aside to say, "We have sold you much fine land, but I am afraid you will have trouble if you try to live there."
They needed to take care of the other group of people sharing the same pieces of land they lived on, the natives, and they needed to do so without causing costs for war. Negotiations between people were made in order to secure safe and guaranteed land for the Natives, which included the promise of “...boundary protection by federal troops against land-seeking settlers.” (Roark 226) In return for this the Creeks made a promise of their own “..to accept the United States alone as its trading partner, shutting out Spain.” (Roark 226) These promises were broken by both parties involved and new approaches had to be made, and America as a young nation continued to struggle with this issue and the correct way in dealing with it. However, American 's did not only have to worry about social and political issues with the Natives who shared their lands but also with other nations, France and Britain, who America wanted to work well with but were always at war it seemed. This issue with the two other countries constantly at War made work with either side very difficult for America and the American people had split opinions on how to deal with the situation, and split opinions on what country they should work with and support over the other. This disagreement among the American people on how to deal with the situation and what sides to take lead to many mistakes in dealing with both sides over