Tecumseh's confederacy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tecumseh's Confederacy |
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| Participant in Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812 | |
 Portrait of Tecumseh by Benson Lossing in 1848 based on 1808 drawing
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| Active | 1805–1824 (In a smaller state) |
| Ideology | Anti-American expansionism Native American religion |
| Leaders |
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| Area of operations | |
| Allies |  Britain |
| Opponents |  United States |
| Battles and wars | |
Tecumseh's Confederacy was a group of Native American tribes. They came together in the early 1800s in the Great Lakes area of the United States. This group formed around the teachings of Tenskwatawa, also known as The Prophet.
Over several years, the confederacy grew to include thousands of warriors. Shawnee leader Tecumseh, who was The Prophet's brother, became the main leader around 1808. Together, they wanted to unite different tribes. Their goal was to stop European settlers from moving across the Appalachian Mountains and taking their land.
In November 1811, an American army led by William Henry Harrison fought Tenskwatawa's warriors. This battle was called the Battle of Tippecanoe. After this, under Tecumseh's leadership, the confederacy went to war with the United States. This conflict was part of Tecumseh's War and the War of 1812. However, the confederacy broke apart in 1813 after Tecumseh died at the Battle of the Thames.
Contents
How the Confederacy Started
After the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, many Native Americans moved out of lands given to the United States. Tribes like the Lenape and Shawnee moved west. They settled in lands that the Miami tribe considered theirs. Different tribes lived together in many villages.
The powerful Miami tribe lived in what is now central Indiana. The Pottawatomie tribe lived in northern Indiana and Michigan. Other tribes like the Wea and Kickapoo lived in western Indiana and eastern Illinois. The Sauk lived in northern Illinois.
The Shawnee had lost most of their land in earlier wars. They moved into northwestern Ohio and northeastern Indiana. The Lenape also moved into south-central Indiana. Other tribes, including the Wyandot, Fox tribe, Winnebago, Odawa, and Mingo, also lived in the region.
Leaders were chosen at the village level, not for the whole tribe. So, one leader might represent people from several tribes living together. There were two types of leaders: war chiefs and civil chiefs. Civil chiefs handled treaties and outside relations. War chiefs took charge during conflicts. After earlier wars, many war chiefs lost power. Civil chiefs then encouraged their people to work with the United States for peace.
A New Religious Movement
In 1805, a very important Native American leader named Buckongahelas died. People in the villages thought his death was caused by bad magic. This led to a "witch hunt," where some Lenape people were accused and treated harshly.
This event led to a new religious movement. It was led by Tecumseh's brother, Tenskwatawa, also called "The Prophet." He became a leader among those who believed in the witch hunt. His early popularity grew with the help of Blue Jacket, a well-known Shawnee War Chief. The Prophet's growing influence challenged the leaders who wanted peace with the United States.
Tenskwatawa was inspired by earlier Lenape religious leaders. They had predicted a time when white settlers would be defeated by supernatural powers. Tenskwatawa taught Native Americans to reject the ways of the whites. This included avoiding alcohol, European clothes, and firearms. He also told tribes not to give any more land to the United States.
Many Native Americans who wanted to cooperate with the United States were accused of witchcraft by Tenskwatawa's followers. Some were even killed. Tenskwatawa's teachings caused problems with settlers. He attracted many followers, mostly Shawnee, but also some Wyandot, Mingo, and Ottawas. Other tribal leaders asked Tenskwatawa and his followers to leave the area to prevent fighting.
They were invited to northwest Indiana by Pottawatomie Chief Winamac. Tenskwatawa accepted and built a village called Prophetstown. It was near the Wabash and Tippecanoe Rivers. The Miami tribe claimed this land, and their leader, Little Turtle, warned the Shawnee they were not welcome. But the warnings were ignored.
Tenskwatawa's religious teachings became more aggressive after a treaty in 1807. This treaty was between the Americans, Fox tribe, and Sauk. Many members of these tribes were angry because the Sauk lost their main settlement. Many unhappy people joined the Prophet and his teachings. The Piankeshaw and Kickapoo tribes were also affected by treaties and moved closer to Prophetstown. His popularity grew, attracting Native American followers from many tribes. These included Shawnee, Chickamauga, Ojibwe/Chippewa, Mascouten, and Potawatomi.
Prophetstown became a very large Native American community. It was a major center for Indian culture and a defense against white settlers. It was a place where thousands of Algonquin-speaking Indians gathered to find spiritual strength. The US government tried to remove the Indian tribes from the area. By 1840, many Indians moved west to avoid the large numbers of white settlers.
Tecumseh Becomes a Leader
By 1808, Tecumseh started to be seen as a leader. He was very angry about the ongoing loss of land to the Americans. He traveled around the southern Great Lakes region. He visited village leaders and urged them to stop working with the Americans. He even threatened to kill chiefs who continued to cooperate.
Tecumseh may have had as many as 5,000 warriors ready to fight. These warriors were spread out across the northwest. In late 1808, the British in Canada offered him an alliance, but he said no. It wasn't until 1810 that Americans first noticed him. Tecumseh eventually became the main leader of the confederacy. However, his younger brother's religious influence had built the foundation for this group.
Tecumseh quickly became the most important Native American leader in the northwestern United States. He then turned his attention to the south. In 1811, he met with leaders of the Five Civilized Tribes. He hoped to unite them with his confederacy in the north. He believed that with their help, they would be strong enough to challenge the Americans. He thought the Americans would have to fight them across a very wide area. However, he faced resistance. Only a few of the Creeks accepted his call to arms. This later led to the Creek War.
Tecumseh's War and the End of the Confederacy
Tensions were rising quickly as people learned about Tecumseh's plans for war. While he was still in the south, an attack was launched against Prophetstown. His brother and about 500–700 warriors were defeated in the Battle of Tippecanoe. This defeat was a huge blow to the confederacy, and it never fully recovered.
Tecumseh returned and began to rebuild the confederacy. When the War of 1812 started, he allied with the British in Canada. This gave Tecumseh a supply of rifles, bullets, and gunpowder. Tecumseh began a series of attacks on American posts in areas the British had given to the U.S. The Americans responded quickly. They launched a second campaign, destroying Prophetstown again. American frontiersmen were angry and wanted war in 1812.
Overall, Tecumseh's confederacy played a key role in starting the War of 1812. They were also important in early battles in the west. In 1812, Tecumseh's warriors helped a small force of British soldiers and Canadian militia. They forced 2,500 American soldiers to surrender during the Siege of Detroit. General William Hull gave up Fort Detroit in August 1812 without a fight. Tecumseh's war on the frontier forced the Americans to fight defensive battles. This split their forces and stopped them from gathering enough soldiers to invade and take over Lower Canada (Quebec).
In 1813, the U.S. Navy gained control of Lake Erie. The British and Tecumseh left Detroit and moved east. They were caught and defeated as a military force. Tecumseh was killed in the Battle of the Thames near Chatham, Ontario. The small British force quickly ran away. Tecumseh's 500 warriors refused to retreat further. They faced a much larger American force, which included cavalry.
Tecumseh's death made his allies lose hope. His confederacy broke apart soon after. However, many tribes continued to fight under their own leaders, just as they had before Tecumseh's death. After Tecumseh died in 1813, his younger brother Tenskwatawa still had a small group of followers. But he no longer had a major leadership role among Native Americans. In 1824, Tenskwatawa returned to the United States from Canada. He helped the government with its plans to move the Shawnee west of the Mississippi River. Tenskwatawa hoped this would help him regain some influence as a leader among the Shawnee.
