Tecumseh and Harrison

Here, Shawnee warrior Tecumseh met with Indiana Territory Governor William Henry Harrison in August 1810 and July 1811. Tecumseh spoke for a growing confederacy of American Indians led by his brother The Prophet (Tenskwatawa); he denounced the 1809 Treaty at Fort Wayne, in which the U.S. government continued its policy of taking Indian lands by treaties with village chiefs. Tecumseh told Harrison that Indian lands were common property and could not be sold without agreement of all Indian nations; the confederacy wanted to keep peace and their lands, but would defend their villages from U.S. advance. In Tecumseh’s absence, in 1811, Harrison led troops into contested lands along the Wabash River. The Battle of Tippecanoe ensued on November 7, 1811.

Vincennes, Indiana · United States