Tecumseh(1768-1813), a Shawnee born in Ohio, was known for his
courage and integrity. He maintained that land could not be sold by
or purchased from individual tribes because the land belonged to all
Indians. He traveled among the various tribes, trying to convince
them to refuse the white man's gifts, to work in agriculture, to make
their own livelihood, and to settle disputes with the settlers
peaceably. In an effort to unify the tribes of the Old Northwest and
to establish an Indian region in the Ohio Valley, he joined the British
in the War of 1812 against the United States. He was killed in the
battle of the Thames, in Canada, in 1813. Today, Tecumseh is
remembered as a visionary who sought to unite all Indians against
the advance of white society.
