Tecumseh

~1768–1813 · Shawnee (Native American) · Early American Republic

Known for: Attempted to unite all Native American tribes into a confederacy to resist American expansion

Tecumseh was a Shawnee war chief who attempted the most ambitious political project in Native American history: uniting every tribe from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico into a single confederacy to resist American westward expansion. He traveled thousands of miles, giving speeches that were considered the finest oratory of the age.

He allied with the British during the War of 1812, hoping a British victory would halt American expansion. He was killed at the Battle of the Thames in 1813. His confederacy died with him, and American expansion rolled westward unchecked. Even his enemies respected him—William Henry Harrison called him 'one of those uncommon geniuses which spring up occasionally to produce revolutions.'

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