A Frontier in Flames, War Along the U.S.-Canadian Frontier-- Part 3: Tecumseh Takes a Stand

Even without British meddling, Americans and Indians had long been on a collision course as American expansion accelerated.  They were pressed to sell or cede more and more of their traditional land.  Indian resentment grew.

Matters reached a flashpoint with the rise of two powerful leaders in the early 1800s-- the Shawnee Chief Tecumseh and American William Henry Harrison who served as territorial governor from mid-1800 to the end of 1812.

Tecumseh was born in 1768 in Ohio.  His name means "Shooting Star."  his father was killed in a battle with whites in 1774.  Tecumseh began fighting against white expansion at least 20 years before the War of 1812.  he was part of the Indian force that defeated General Arthur St. Clair on November 4, 1791, in Indiana.  He also fought at the Battle of Fallen Timbers on August 20, 1794, which ended an Indian alliance known as the Pan-Indian Movement.

--Brock-Perry