Tecumseh's Confederacy

Tecumseh's Confederacy was a union of Native American tribes on the borders of the Kingdom of America and the Canadian colonies of Great Britain in the early 19th century.

History

The tribes that would later make up the Confederacy had split loyalties during the American War for Independence between what would become the Kingdom of America and the loyal British forces. Britain had promised territory of their own should they stay loyal, while America sought to expand westward territories. Following the independence of America, many tribes signed treaties with the American government while others chose to fight for what territory they held.

During the Northwest Indian Wars, the American government suffered many humiliating defeats while the militias committed atrocities against many of the tribes that signed treaties with the Americans. With the crowning of Henry von Hohenzollern as King of America, his distaste for the reliance of militias was immediately felt. The army was reformed, atrocities were severely punished, but the effects were already felt. Despite this, much of the Native leaders in the Northwest wished for assimilation, and recieved federal support. The wars against the Natives in the Northwest Territories briefly ended in 1793.

The treaty with the British Canadians and the Indian Confederacies began to see King Henry send delegates beginning in 1795. These Confederacies were treated with as if they were sovereign nations, causing much resentment in the American kingdom. Many in the government thought this might infringe on their abilities to settle the region. Starting in 1798, the British government orders the official end to arming native rebellions against America as the two powers become amicable against France. With this, American support for Native tribes increases, but so does the reliance of Indian quality of life on federal assistance.

An economic recession saw many within the Indian Confederacy suffer from the over reliance on assistance from the Americans. One leader that began to gain prominence was a Shawnee named Tecumseh, who, along with his brother, Tenskwatawa, began a religious movement aimed at securing their territory separate from America. Forming a confederacy in the Great Lakes area, Tecumseh began to negotiate with the governor of the territory, Arthur St. Claire. King Augustus II offers to make the Confederacy an unincorporated territory with Tecumseh as the executive chief and his council as the legislative. Despite insight from leaders such as Blue Jacket and Little Turtle, Tecumseh began to grow closer to the forces of Upper Canada. With the election of William H. Crawford and St. Claire's replacement with William Henry Harrison, Tecumseh officially sided with the Canadians in 1814.

Disbandment

The tensions between the Americans and the Natives with their Canadian allies eventually led to the War of the North in 1815, wherein Crawford used state militias to circumvent the king's authority to fight against Tecumseh. However, the American militias saw a series of defeats against the Natives and British regulars. King Augustus eventually used Constitutional powers to take control of the situation, which led to an eventual American victory in 1816. The confederacy was forced to accept the terms dictated to them, later becoming the territory of Shawnee.

DISBANDED/DISSOLVED