Tecumseh's War
The two principal adversaries in the conflict, chief Tecumseh and American politician
William Henry Harrison, had both been junior participants in the
Battle of Fallen Timbers at the close of the
Northwest Indian Wars in 1794. Tecumseh was not among the Native American signers of the
Treaty of Greenville, which had ended the war, when the Shawnee and other Native Americans ceded much of their historic territory in present-day
Ohio
to the United States. However, many Indian leaders in the region
accepted the Greenville terms, and for the next ten years pan-tribal
resistance to American
hegemony faded.
The
Treaty of Fort Wayne, sometimes called the
Ten O'clock Line Treaty or the
Twelve Mile Line Treaty, is an 1809 treaty that obtained 3,000,000 acres (approximately 12,000
km²) of
American Indian land for the white settlers of
Illinois and
Indiana. The tribes involved were the
Delaware,
Eel River,
Miami tribe, and
Potawatomi in the initial negotiations; later
Kickapoo and the
Wea, who were the primary inhabitants of the region being sold. The negotiations did not include the
Shawnee who were minor inhabitants of the area purchased and had been asked to leave the area previously by Miami War Chief
Little Turtle. Territorial Governor
William Henry Harrison negotiated the treaty with the tribes. The treaty led to a war with the
United States began by Shawnee leader
Tecumseh and other dissenting tribesmen in what came to be called "
Tecumseh's War".
Tecumseh was outraged by the Treaty of Fort Wayne, believing that
American Indian land was owned in common by all tribes, an idea
advocated in previous years by the Shawnee leader
Blue Jacket and the
Mohawk leader
Joseph Brant.
[30] In response, Tecumseh began to expand on the teachings of his brother, known as
The Prophet,
who called for the tribes to return to their ancestral ways. He began
to associate the teachings with the idea of a pan-tribal alliance.
Tecumseh traveled widely, urging warriors to abandon the
accommodationist chiefs and to join the resistance at Prophetstown.
[30]
Negotiations
The treaty also has two nicknames, the "Ten O'clock Line
Treaty of 1809" and the "Twelve Mile Line Treaty". The first nickname
comes from tradition that says the Native Americans did not trust the
surveyors' equipment, so a spear was thrown down at ten o'clock and the
shadow became the treaty line. There are other myths that say it was
either a tree or a fence that was used. The Twelve Mile Line was a
reference to the Greenville Treaty and the establishment of a new 'line'
parallel to it but twelve miles further west.
In 1809 Harrison began to push for a treaty to open more
land for settlement. The Miami, Wea, and Kickapoo were "vehemently"
opposed to selling any more land around the
Wabash River.
[1] In order to influence those groups to sell the land, Harrison decided, against the wishes of
President James Madison,
to first conclude a treaty with the tribes willing to sell and use them
to help influence those who held out. In September 1809 he invited the
Pottawatomie, Lenape, Eel Rivers, and the Miami to a meeting in
Fort Wayne.
In the negotiations Harrison promised large subsidies and payments to
the tribes if they would cede the lands he was asking for.
[2]
Only the Miami opposed the treaty. They presented their copy of the
Treaty of Greenville
and read the section that guaranteed their possession of the lands
around the Wabash River. They then explained the history of the region
and how they had invited the Wea and other tribes to settle in their
territory as friends. The Miami were concerned the Wea leaders were not
present, although they were the primary inhabitants of the land being
sold. The Miami also wanted any new land sales to be paid for by the
acre, and not by the tract. Harrison agreed to make the treaty's
acceptance contingent on approval by the Wea and other tribes in the
territory being purchased, but he refused to purchase land by the acre.
He countered that it was better for the tribes to sell the land in
tracts so as to prevent the Americans from only purchasing their best
lands by the acre and leaving them only poor land to live on.
[2]
After two weeks of negotiating, the Pottawatomie leaders
convinced the Miami to accept the treaty as reciprocity to the
Pottawatomie who had earlier accepted treaties less advantageous to them
at the request of the Miami. Finally the Treaty of Fort Wayne was
signed on September 29, 1809, selling United States over 3,000,000
acres (approximately 12,000
km²), chiefly along the Wabash River north of Vincennes.
[2]
During the winter months, Harrison was able to obtain the acceptance of
the Wea by offering them a large subsidy and the help of Miami Chief
Pacanne
who helped to influence the Wea leaders. The Kickapoo were closely
allied with the Shawnee at Prophetstown and Harrison feared they would
be difficult to sway. He offered the Wea an increased subsidy if the
Kickapoo would also accept the treaty, causing the Wea to pressure the
Kickapoo leaders to accept. By the spring of 1810 Harrison had completed
negotiations and the treaty was finalized.
[3]
Visit the Official Website of Piqua Shawnee
