Why We Remember Tecuhmseh

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Why We Remember Tecumseh History remembers Tecumseh as a very significant Native American who gave his life for what he believed. He knew that the Americans were a tremendous threat to all Indian tribes, and realized that the Indians would be destroyed one by one if not united. Tecumseh united many tribes in hopes that the Americans would recognize their borders and thus put a halt to westward expansion. His effort may have succeeded if it were not for the mistakes made by his brother, Laulewasika, the Americans violent actions towards the Indian tribes, and the unwillingness of the different tribes to cooperate. Tecumseh was born in March of 1768. His real name was Tecumtha, which meant "panther lying in wait," but to the white men he was called Tecumseh. His parents were Puckenshinwe, an intelligent Shawnee war chief, and his mother Methoataske. When Tecumseh was a young boy, his father was shot by a group of settlers that were in the Shawnee's land. Tecumseh found his father in the woods before he died and his father’s death instilled hatred for the settlers in him at an early age. Tecumseh’s first military encounter occurred in 1780, when he was twelve years old. Two years later Tecumseh and his brother Cheeseekau were in a small engagement and his brother was wounded and Tecumseh, overcome with fear, ran away. After this humiliating event, he became determined to never run from a fight again. Tecumseh joined the many Shawnees who attacked the settlers coming in on boats, and on this particular day, the Shawnees burned at the stake a settler they had captured. Tecumseh was against this act of barbarism and publicly spoke out against it. Tecumseh developed his public speaking abilities and used it to unite the many tribes of Native Americans. Tecumseh traveled east to Tennessee, then south to what is now Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and all the

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