How Did Black Hawk Treat The Americans

By reading the Life of Black Hawk, I realized how the Sac tribe was treated rude and harsh by as they called the whites, comparing how the Sac tribe treated others based on peace and spiritual lifestyle. At first, Black Hawk and his tribe wish to live with Americans peacefully. After the agreement was signed with no conscious of the terms by Sac and Fox tribes with U.S government, the whites were using every conceivable method to expel Sac tribe from their homeland. Consequently, Black Hawk decided to fight with the Americans and join in the British side.
The Sacs was living full of happiness. They had everything they need to survive and everyone was close. Actually, the tribe combined with Sac and Fox after the Fox Indians were most killed

by the French. In the first place, when Black Hawk met the speech of the young chief, he wrote “our American father would treat us well” However, the young chief gave them an American flag and requested them to lower the British colors and to give him their British medals, promising to send others on his return to St. Louis. The Sacs declined to do that. (Black Hawk, P17)
When one of Sac’s people killed an American and he was taken prisoner at St.

Louis, Black Hawk decided to see their American father explain what happened, releasing their friend after he held a council at their village. However, their friend was SHOT DEAD when he started and ran a short distance out of the prison. At that time, they signed the treaty which causes a sharp conflict later. I believe the death of their friends hide an invisible fuse between the Sac tribe and U.S government. In Black Hawk’s word, the treaty of 1804 was including “all of the countries east of the Mississippi, and south of Jefferson was cede to the United States”. (Black Hawk,

P19)
When the news reached to Sacs that a war going to take place between the British and the Americans, Black Hawk had not made up his mind whether to join the British or remain neutral because it seems like Americans made fair promises but never fulfilled them while the British made but few. (Black Hawk, P22) Several of their chiefs were asked to meet the Great Father in Washington and persuaded not engage in the war and stay neutral. An American merchant will provide what they need in fall. However, the war chief said he didn’t get any information from the Great Father. The inconsistent statement pushes the disgruntled situation between the Sac tribe and the U.S. government.
Finally, Americans tried to expel the Sac tribe from Mississippi River.

Colonel Dixon said: “Your English Father has found out that the Americans want to take your country from you and has sent me and my braves to drive them back to their own country.” (Black Hawk, P27) The Sac had forced to join the British side to survival under the harsh situation. If they wanted to keep their homeland and living in peace as before, the only choice they had is standing opposite against Americans with British.
If the contradictory position was forced before, it became from the heart when Black Hawk’s adopted son dead because of cruelly and wantonly murdered by the whites. He collected a party of thirty braves to start the war.
Black Hawk started considered if the great chief of St. Louis could give them 6,000 dollars to buy treaty and other objects, they will agree to move to the west of Mississippi River. However, a few days later, the war chief came back and said: “The great chief of St. Louis would give us nothing! – and said if we did not remove immediately, we should be drove off!” Then, Black Hawk denied to admit the treaty of 1804 “We had never sold our country. We never received any annuities from our American father, and we are determined to hold on to our village!” (Black Hawk,

P63-65)
Later, Black Hawk led his band of 1,200 Saks, back across the Mississippi River to the area in April of 1832, successfully managed to counterattack the militia. This Indian victory was a major demoralization to the United States. The tragedy happened in 1832. The massacre lasted two hours, the Sacs were almost wiped out. Black Hawk was captured.
The Natives and Americans both broken the rule that they had made before, which cause the unsatisfied mood of them and eventually using the war to make a tragic settlement. Fortunately, nowadays these natives could live a peaceful life without any war or expel from their homeland.