Tecumseh: Tribal Leader Who Fought American Expansion

 

Tecumseh was a leader of the Shawnee Tribe in the early 1800s. He led the Shawnee and other tribes in fighting American expansion into what is now the Northwestern United States. In the end, however, their efforts failed.

Tecumseh was born in western Ohio around 1768. He grew up during a period of endless warfare¹, as non-native settlers moved inland from the Atlantic Coast.

The Shawnee had once lived in woodlands east of the Mississippi River. But by the late 1700s, they had been forced to move to what are today the states of Ohio and Indiana.

The Eastern Shawnee Tribe’s website notes that Tecumseh’s father died in a battle with a Virginia militia² in 1774. The boy was left to be raised by his older brother, who trained him as a warrior³.

Tecumseh fought his first battle at the age of 14. The Shawnee say he became frightened and ran from the battlefield. He was so embarrassed that he made up his mind to never be afraid of battle again.

In 1790, his forces attacked a group of American soldiers in western Ohio. More than 600 soldiers died and hundreds more were wounded in the attack. It was the biggest defeat of the U.S. army ever.

Around 1805, Tecumseh’s younger brother is said to have had a series of visions. That experience led him to take the name Tenskwatawa, which means “Prophet” in English.

Tecumseh worked to support Tenskwatawa’s visions, which promised protection against American soldiers and predicted the return of the traditional Shawnee way of life.

The two brothers established the village of Tippecanoe in what is now Indiana. It was meant to serve as the headquarters of a new native alliance against the U.S. government.

Tecumseh then began to travel, as far north as Canada and as far south as the Gulf⁴ of Mexico. He wanted to spread his brother’s message in an effort to seek out tribal⁵ allies.

By the spring of 1810, non-native settlers had grown increasingly nervous. They worried that the tribal alliance was planning to attack and kill them.

In 1811, while Tecumseh was away on a trip along the Gulf Coast, the U.S. army prepared to attack “Prophetstown.” A group of Shawnee warriors⁶ went out to meet them, and the two sides fought a two-hour battle. Neither side won. The Shawnee withdrew from the area. The next day, the U.S. army burned Tippecanoe to the ground.

In 1812, the U.S. Congress declared war on Great Britain. Tecumseh and his allies joined the side of the British. They believed that a British victory would stop the progress of the Americans. Tecumseh is said to have demonstrated himself to be a clever planner who helped the British to victory in Detroit.

But in 1813, he was wounded by American forces during the Battle of the Thames in Ontario, Canada. He died a short time later.

His death is seen as having opened the way for American expansion into the continental⁷ northwest. In the following years, the U.S. government forced tribes west of the Mississippi River to accept more than 200 treaties. The government also set up nearly 100 areas for Native American tribes. They are called reservations.

The Shawnee were once spread across parts of the United States, Canada and Mexico. Today, the U.S. government recognizes the Shawnee in three branches: the Shawnee Tribe, the Absentee Shawnee Tribe and the Eastern Shawnee Tribe. Each one lives in Oklahoma, and all remember Tecumseh as a hero.

William Henry Harrison would become the ninth U.S. president. He described Tecumseh as “one of those uncommon⁸ geniuses which spring up occasionally to produce revolutions and overturn the established order of things.”

I’m Jonathan Evans.

Words in this Story

clever – adj. showing intelligent thinking

embarrassed – adj. feeling confused and foolish in front of other people

genius – n. a very smart or talented person; a person who has a level of talent or intelligence that is very rare or remarkable⁹

vision – n. something that you see or dream especially as part of a religious or supernatural experience

branch – n. a local office of an organization; a major part of something

prophet – n. someone with moral or spiritual gifts; one who can predict future events

1 warfare   

n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突

参考例句：

• He addressed the audience on the subject of atomic warfare.他向听众演讲有关原子战争的问题。
• Their struggle consists mainly in peasant guerrilla warfare.他们的斗争主要是农民游击战。

2 militia   

n.民兵，民兵组织

参考例句：

• First came the PLA men,then the people's militia.人民解放军走在前面，其次是民兵。
• There's a building guarded by the local militia at the corner of the street.街道拐角处有一幢由当地民兵团守卫的大楼。

3 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

4 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

5 tribal   

adj.部族的，种族的

参考例句：

• He became skilled in several tribal lingoes.他精通几种部族的语言。
• The country was torn apart by fierce tribal hostilities.那个国家被部落间的激烈冲突弄得四分五裂。

6 warriors   

武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I like reading the stories ofancient warriors. 我喜欢读有关古代武士的故事。
• The warriors speared the man to death. 武士们把那个男子戳死了。

7 continental   

adj.大陆的，大陆性的，欧洲大陆的

参考例句：

• A continental climate is different from an insular one.大陆性气候不同于岛屿气候。
• The most ancient parts of the continental crust are 4000 million years old.大陆地壳最古老的部分有40亿年历史。

8 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

9 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。