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Library of American Biography
Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership
In this biography, David Edmunds examines the life of legendary Shawnee leader Tecumesh and his pivotal role in defending the Native American way of life. Since his death as an avowed warrior at the Battle of the Thames in 1813, the details of Tecumsehrsquo;s life have passed into the realm of legend, myth and drama. In this new edition, David Edmunds considers the man who acted as a diplomat ndash; a charismatic strategist who attempted to smooth cultural divisions between tribes and collectively oppose the seizure of their land.pThe titles in the Library of American Biography Series make ideal supplements for American History Survey courses or other courses in American history where figures in history are explored. Paperback, brief, and inexpensive, each interpretive biography in this series focuses on a figure whose actions and ideas significantly influenced the course of American history and national life. In addition, each biography relates the life of its subject to the broader themes and developments of the times.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
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178 people want to read
About the author
R. David Edmunds
26 books5 followersA specialist in the history of Native American people and the American West, R. David Edmunds is Professor Emeritus of American History at the University of Texas in Dallas. The author or editor of ten books and over one hundred essays, articles, and other shorter publications, Edmunds' major works have been awarded the Francis Parkman Prize, the Ohioana Prize for Biography, and the Alfred Heggoy Prize of the French Colonial Historical Society. Edmunds has written extensively upon Native American-White relations in the 18th and 19th centuries, and has served as a consultant in the production of over a dozen films or documentaries produced for PBS, the History Channel and commercial television. Edmunds has held advisory positions with numerous museums and federal agencies, and has served as an advisor to the Smithsonian Institution, The Ford Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, the National Park Service, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the ACT and LSAT testing services and The Newberry Library. During 1990-91 he served as the Acting Director of the D'Arcy McNickle Center for the History of the American Indian at the Newberry Library. He has taught at the University of Wyoming, Texas Christian University, The University of California at Berkeley, U.C.L.A. and Indiana University.
Edmunds is the past-president of both the American Society of Ethnohistory (2002-03) and the Western History Association (2006-07). In 1998, he received the Award of Merit from the American Indian Historians Association, and in 2007 he received the Jeff Dykes Award for contributions to Western History from Westerners International. Edmunds serves as a "Distinguished Lecturer" for the Organization of American Historians. His current research focuses upon the history of Native American identity, Native Americans on the Great Plains and Native American biography.
Edmunds is the past-president of both the American Society of Ethnohistory (2002-03) and the Western History Association (2006-07). In 1998, he received the Award of Merit from the American Indian Historians Association, and in 2007 he received the Jeff Dykes Award for contributions to Western History from Westerners International. Edmunds serves as a "Distinguished Lecturer" for the Organization of American Historians. His current research focuses upon the history of Native American identity, Native Americans on the Great Plains and Native American biography.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
August 4, 2024
In the first decade of the 19th century, the indigenous American tribes of the trans-Mississippi West were under growing pressure to cede their lands to the United States. As white settlers from the east encroached upon their territories, federal officials encouraged the tribes to turn over their lands to the United States in return for goods and promises. Though some complied, others sought to resist the usurpation of their territory. Yet on their own no tribe had the ability to defy the forces available to the United States on the frontier. If resistance was to have any chance of success, the tribes would have to form a common front against American settlement.
Though many tribal leaders recognized the need for such unity, one person emerged at the forefront of the efforts to forge it. That person was Tecumseh, a Shawnee chief and warrior who spent several years forging a confederacy among the tribes of the region. Traveling widely, he convinced many tribes of the value of a combined effort, and with the aid of the British sought to prevent further cessions to the United States. Tecumseh’s labors and their results are the focus of David Edmunds’s book. Through them, the author recounts the tensions in the Old Northwest in the years leading to the outbreak of war, detailing both the extent of his efforts and examining why they ended in failure.
Doing so is no easy task, as Tecumseh left no personal papers, and records of his life are few. Edmunds compensates for this by recounting the context for Tecumseh’s life in the region, particularly the westward advance of the American frontier. As he details, tribal opposition to westward settlement stretched as far back as the mid-18th century, when the Shawnee were among the many tribes navigating between competing British and French interests in the region. The Shawnee were among those who chose resistance over cooperation, participating in both Pontiac’s Rebellion and the American Revolution. It was into this world of increasing conflict that Tecumseh was born. Having lost his father at a young age in a clash with British forces, Tecumseh was raised by Chiksika, one of his brothers, who taught him the ways of the Shawnee warrior before his own death in battle in 1788.
Though Tecumseh mourned Chiksika’s death, his elder brother’s passing gave the young warrior the opportunity to demonstrate his own leadership skills. His rise to a chiefdom coincided with the growing challenge posed by the United States, which prompted in the 1790s an early effort at establishing a confederation that Tecumseh would emulate. The defeats suffered by the tribes during the Northwest Indian War led to territorial annexations by the United States that only increased the number of conflicts between indigenous Americans and white settlers. With traditional Shawnee ways increasingly undermined by the white presence, Tecumseh’s younger brother Tenskwatawa sparked a religious revival that created a spiritual foundation for opposition to American settlement. Yet Edmunds makes clear that it was Tecumseh rather than his brother who was driving the effort to turn such aspirations into a political reality. Traveling between Canada and the American South, he lobbied intensively among the tribes he met for the formation of a new confederation that would oppose further concessions.
These efforts did not go unnoticed by American officials in the region. Despite Tecumseh’s efforts to assuage their fears while he organized his confederacy, the governor of Indiana Territory, William Henry Harrison remained unconvinced. Taking advantage of Tecumseh’s absence on a trip to the South, Harrison organized a military expedition intended to break up the confederacy. Tenskwatawa’s attempt to confront this at Tippecanoe destroyed his authority as a religious leader and left his brother’s movement in shambles. Forced to rebuild, Tecumseh’s effort gained a second wind with the outbreak of war between the United States and Great Britain in 1812. Tecumseh proved a valuable ally to the British, and participated in many of their successes on frontier campaigns. With the death of the much-admired Sir Isaac Brock, however, and the surrender of their squadron in Lake Erie, the British retreated, and it was while fighting against American forces in Canada in October 1813 that Tecumseh was killed with a shot to his chest.
The loss of as charismatic and respected a figure as Tecumseh signaled the end of the hopes for an alliance that could resist American encroachment. Yet despite the failure of his efforts, Tecumseh himself went on to become a legend, a status that Edmunds explores in his final chapter. It’s a fitting end for a book that so ably surveys Tecumseh’s life and its enduring legacy. Working with the limited evidence available to him, Edmunds does a fine job of situating his subject within the context of the larger forces shaping events in the region. His incorporation of Tenskwatawa’s related activities adds to the book’s value, as it serves effectively as a joint account of the two men and their contributions to the confederacy movement. Challenging as it does many of the myths surrounding Tecumseh’s life with a grounded analysis based on a judicious assessment of the sources, it is a fantastic introduction both to the life of an important figure in American history and the demise of indigenous American resistance to settlement in the Old Northwest.
Though many tribal leaders recognized the need for such unity, one person emerged at the forefront of the efforts to forge it. That person was Tecumseh, a Shawnee chief and warrior who spent several years forging a confederacy among the tribes of the region. Traveling widely, he convinced many tribes of the value of a combined effort, and with the aid of the British sought to prevent further cessions to the United States. Tecumseh’s labors and their results are the focus of David Edmunds’s book. Through them, the author recounts the tensions in the Old Northwest in the years leading to the outbreak of war, detailing both the extent of his efforts and examining why they ended in failure.
Doing so is no easy task, as Tecumseh left no personal papers, and records of his life are few. Edmunds compensates for this by recounting the context for Tecumseh’s life in the region, particularly the westward advance of the American frontier. As he details, tribal opposition to westward settlement stretched as far back as the mid-18th century, when the Shawnee were among the many tribes navigating between competing British and French interests in the region. The Shawnee were among those who chose resistance over cooperation, participating in both Pontiac’s Rebellion and the American Revolution. It was into this world of increasing conflict that Tecumseh was born. Having lost his father at a young age in a clash with British forces, Tecumseh was raised by Chiksika, one of his brothers, who taught him the ways of the Shawnee warrior before his own death in battle in 1788.
Though Tecumseh mourned Chiksika’s death, his elder brother’s passing gave the young warrior the opportunity to demonstrate his own leadership skills. His rise to a chiefdom coincided with the growing challenge posed by the United States, which prompted in the 1790s an early effort at establishing a confederation that Tecumseh would emulate. The defeats suffered by the tribes during the Northwest Indian War led to territorial annexations by the United States that only increased the number of conflicts between indigenous Americans and white settlers. With traditional Shawnee ways increasingly undermined by the white presence, Tecumseh’s younger brother Tenskwatawa sparked a religious revival that created a spiritual foundation for opposition to American settlement. Yet Edmunds makes clear that it was Tecumseh rather than his brother who was driving the effort to turn such aspirations into a political reality. Traveling between Canada and the American South, he lobbied intensively among the tribes he met for the formation of a new confederation that would oppose further concessions.
These efforts did not go unnoticed by American officials in the region. Despite Tecumseh’s efforts to assuage their fears while he organized his confederacy, the governor of Indiana Territory, William Henry Harrison remained unconvinced. Taking advantage of Tecumseh’s absence on a trip to the South, Harrison organized a military expedition intended to break up the confederacy. Tenskwatawa’s attempt to confront this at Tippecanoe destroyed his authority as a religious leader and left his brother’s movement in shambles. Forced to rebuild, Tecumseh’s effort gained a second wind with the outbreak of war between the United States and Great Britain in 1812. Tecumseh proved a valuable ally to the British, and participated in many of their successes on frontier campaigns. With the death of the much-admired Sir Isaac Brock, however, and the surrender of their squadron in Lake Erie, the British retreated, and it was while fighting against American forces in Canada in October 1813 that Tecumseh was killed with a shot to his chest.
The loss of as charismatic and respected a figure as Tecumseh signaled the end of the hopes for an alliance that could resist American encroachment. Yet despite the failure of his efforts, Tecumseh himself went on to become a legend, a status that Edmunds explores in his final chapter. It’s a fitting end for a book that so ably surveys Tecumseh’s life and its enduring legacy. Working with the limited evidence available to him, Edmunds does a fine job of situating his subject within the context of the larger forces shaping events in the region. His incorporation of Tenskwatawa’s related activities adds to the book’s value, as it serves effectively as a joint account of the two men and their contributions to the confederacy movement. Challenging as it does many of the myths surrounding Tecumseh’s life with a grounded analysis based on a judicious assessment of the sources, it is a fantastic introduction both to the life of an important figure in American history and the demise of indigenous American resistance to settlement in the Old Northwest.
March 10, 2023
A truly excellent, academic biography of Tecumseh. Avoiding the pop biography approach that's somewhat corrupted the genre, both literary and otherwise, Edmunds' account of Tecumseh is rigorously researched and detailed. Whilst being written with an academic, student audience in mind, this book is still very readable if you're interested in the history of the American frontier or are just interested in biographies about fascinating individuals. No specialized knowledge is needed to enjoy it on it's face. It's also very brief, refreshingly so. Despite it's brevity, it is a incredibly complete read. Highly recommended for history enthusiasts
September 28, 2022
This is another in the very enjoyable Library of American Biography that provides a concise and compact account of the lives of notables in American history.
Though we know the outcome of the conflict between the native and the white man in North America, it's difficult to imagine that for those whites who lived at the time there was any doubt about victory in the long run with more advanced weapons, more manpower, better supply and a culture with aspects that would silently invade and undermine that of the native.
The history of the conflict told only of repeated defeat and loss of land. For the native it would require more than a little hope and a great deal of bravery to believe the land could be held. The tribes being proudly distinct, it could always be thought that defeat had been the result for them, but will not be for us. What makes the story of Tecumseh different is both his call for tribal unity, which he could see was the only hope, and the degree of his countercultural success.
Whiskey, clothing, cookery, weapons and jewelry of American manufacture all appealed to the natives to the extent that they willingly hunted game for the pelts that could be traded to get them. This by itself made the native dependent on the white and all but insured the decline of the ancient ways. There was only one way to resist, by total withdrawal.
In the early years of the 19th century, the brother of the Shawnee Tecumseh, Tenskwatawa, became known as The Prophet for his teaching of withdrawal from interaction with whites. He had been an alcoholic. At one point he lost consciousness during which he had a vision. After coming to he would never take another drink of alcohol and would have a clear idea of how to resist the white man. This seemingly miraculous transformation greatly impressed not only his fellow Shawnees, but also members of other nearby tribes. The Prophet preached not only renunciation of white culture and its products, but an acceptance by all tribes of unity in the face of the white threat.
His brother having been a ne'er-do-well, the transformation impressed Tecumseh who, won to the philosophy of his brother, began the remarkable and prolonged effort to unite tribes across not only native lands in Ohio, but in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and as far south as Mississippi and Alabama. To even attempt such a unification that went against all tribal precedent was an act of boldness rightfully admired since, but respect must also be given for the dedication Tecumseh showed, his persuasive power and dogged refusal to give up the effort even when he met rejection in council or desertion after a battle. Add the physical endurance required to travel repeatedly across a wide region with no guarantee of success.
Author Edmunds points out that for the native, the troops at his side almost always included family members, unlike the American army of strangers to each other under the command of one person, also a stranger. For the Americans, either regular army or militia, families were safely far from the battle. In addition, the natives did not recognize formal ranks that mandated obedience regardless of circumstances. Bravery was admired on both sides, but understandably the natives were less likely to willingly expose their ranks of brothers, fathers, uncles and cousins to massed firepower. If a battle was not going well, retreat was always an option, whoever it might be that was calling for making a stand. That no man could tell another what to do was a foundation of native culture, the antithesis of military hierarchy.
Turmoil was all about in the early 1800's in the Old Northwest. Settlers were as always moving in, the British were on hand in Canada, the War of 1812 would break out and it seemed just possible that the natives could make use of the situation to hold the remains of their land, what was left to them after the Treaty of Greenville took away their homeland along the Ohio River. In this confusing state, tribes could ally with the Americans or the British. Tecumseh's tribe, the Shawnee, were divided with some settling into farming allied with the Americans.
Anyone who has read about warfare knows that more often than not things do not happen according to plan. This book is filled with examples. For anyone who lives, as I do, in the region within which the action took place, the mention of familiar place names will heighten the interest. I have been to the site of Prophetstown on the Tippicanoe River in Indiana where once The Profit established a settlement. There is a very enjoyable museum at a place undisturbed by modern development where one can sit amid the giant oaks and think of what once happened there not so very long ago.
Though we know the outcome of the conflict between the native and the white man in North America, it's difficult to imagine that for those whites who lived at the time there was any doubt about victory in the long run with more advanced weapons, more manpower, better supply and a culture with aspects that would silently invade and undermine that of the native.
The history of the conflict told only of repeated defeat and loss of land. For the native it would require more than a little hope and a great deal of bravery to believe the land could be held. The tribes being proudly distinct, it could always be thought that defeat had been the result for them, but will not be for us. What makes the story of Tecumseh different is both his call for tribal unity, which he could see was the only hope, and the degree of his countercultural success.
Whiskey, clothing, cookery, weapons and jewelry of American manufacture all appealed to the natives to the extent that they willingly hunted game for the pelts that could be traded to get them. This by itself made the native dependent on the white and all but insured the decline of the ancient ways. There was only one way to resist, by total withdrawal.
In the early years of the 19th century, the brother of the Shawnee Tecumseh, Tenskwatawa, became known as The Prophet for his teaching of withdrawal from interaction with whites. He had been an alcoholic. At one point he lost consciousness during which he had a vision. After coming to he would never take another drink of alcohol and would have a clear idea of how to resist the white man. This seemingly miraculous transformation greatly impressed not only his fellow Shawnees, but also members of other nearby tribes. The Prophet preached not only renunciation of white culture and its products, but an acceptance by all tribes of unity in the face of the white threat.
His brother having been a ne'er-do-well, the transformation impressed Tecumseh who, won to the philosophy of his brother, began the remarkable and prolonged effort to unite tribes across not only native lands in Ohio, but in Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana and as far south as Mississippi and Alabama. To even attempt such a unification that went against all tribal precedent was an act of boldness rightfully admired since, but respect must also be given for the dedication Tecumseh showed, his persuasive power and dogged refusal to give up the effort even when he met rejection in council or desertion after a battle. Add the physical endurance required to travel repeatedly across a wide region with no guarantee of success.
Author Edmunds points out that for the native, the troops at his side almost always included family members, unlike the American army of strangers to each other under the command of one person, also a stranger. For the Americans, either regular army or militia, families were safely far from the battle. In addition, the natives did not recognize formal ranks that mandated obedience regardless of circumstances. Bravery was admired on both sides, but understandably the natives were less likely to willingly expose their ranks of brothers, fathers, uncles and cousins to massed firepower. If a battle was not going well, retreat was always an option, whoever it might be that was calling for making a stand. That no man could tell another what to do was a foundation of native culture, the antithesis of military hierarchy.
Turmoil was all about in the early 1800's in the Old Northwest. Settlers were as always moving in, the British were on hand in Canada, the War of 1812 would break out and it seemed just possible that the natives could make use of the situation to hold the remains of their land, what was left to them after the Treaty of Greenville took away their homeland along the Ohio River. In this confusing state, tribes could ally with the Americans or the British. Tecumseh's tribe, the Shawnee, were divided with some settling into farming allied with the Americans.
Anyone who has read about warfare knows that more often than not things do not happen according to plan. This book is filled with examples. For anyone who lives, as I do, in the region within which the action took place, the mention of familiar place names will heighten the interest. I have been to the site of Prophetstown on the Tippicanoe River in Indiana where once The Profit established a settlement. There is a very enjoyable museum at a place undisturbed by modern development where one can sit amid the giant oaks and think of what once happened there not so very long ago.
January 23, 2019
Very informative for those looking to discover Tecumseh. Fascinating section near the end where Edmunds showcases how he winnowed legend from fact, and what he was left with afterward in relation to myth and substance.
Read
April 1, 2021DNF- I just got lost with all the names and dates.
September 26, 2021
Well researched/super in-depth. Painfully so, at times. The last chapter did an excellent job examining Tecumseh's fable-like legacy in white America.
October 3, 2021
Cool. Although, I struggle with reading about the details of battles.
December 17, 2011
I heard that this was a really good book, with lots of action, and I was assured it didn't read like a text book. That's true for the second half of the book. The first half however, was rather dull.
This book describes the life of Tecumseh. It begins by giving an account of Tecumseh's family and the life of the Shawnee Indians. As the book goes on, the accounts of the many battles between the Indians and the Americans and the War of 1812 become more numerous, and that is when it stops reading like a textbook and becomes more enjoyable. I went into this book thinking one thing about the Shawnee tribe, but came out of it thinking something completely different. What I really like was the very last chapter where the author attempts to prove the legitimacy of his book. There are numerous biographies of Tecumseh, and the author briefly goes into those biographies and states reasons he has come across to either verify or falsify some of the information in the other biographies. He also states that it is difficult to obtain accurate information and that there are certain things, such as what happened to Tecumseh's body and who actually killed him, that are still not positively known, only assumed.
Overall this was a decent book. It gave a nice, brief biography of one of the most well-known leaders of the Indians. A bit dry at first, but one you get past that, it reads a lot easier.
This book describes the life of Tecumseh. It begins by giving an account of Tecumseh's family and the life of the Shawnee Indians. As the book goes on, the accounts of the many battles between the Indians and the Americans and the War of 1812 become more numerous, and that is when it stops reading like a textbook and becomes more enjoyable. I went into this book thinking one thing about the Shawnee tribe, but came out of it thinking something completely different. What I really like was the very last chapter where the author attempts to prove the legitimacy of his book. There are numerous biographies of Tecumseh, and the author briefly goes into those biographies and states reasons he has come across to either verify or falsify some of the information in the other biographies. He also states that it is difficult to obtain accurate information and that there are certain things, such as what happened to Tecumseh's body and who actually killed him, that are still not positively known, only assumed.
Overall this was a decent book. It gave a nice, brief biography of one of the most well-known leaders of the Indians. A bit dry at first, but one you get past that, it reads a lot easier.
October 25, 2009
This book was clear and informative, but very 100-level textbook-y. It was a nice little intro to Tecumseh, but nothing more than an intro. I'd read it if it was free, but I wouldn't actually go out and buy it, if I were you.
April 12, 2012
R. David Edmunds was a professor of mines (University of Texas @ Dallas or UTD).
We used this book as part of the course. It was a good book to read. I personally enjoyed his lectures on the topic more but the book does give more details.
We used this book as part of the course. It was a good book to read. I personally enjoyed his lectures on the topic more but the book does give more details.
June 3, 2009
A bit dry, but very cool subject.
May 19, 2011
Very interesting biography. I admire Tecumseh's bravery. I did a book report on this book.
June 27, 2012
The was a textbook for college. I met the author while in class. Very interesting look at the frontier in the Ohio Valley.
September 15, 2012
Good biography of Tecumseh and the struggles of the Shawnee Tribe up to Tecumseh's death.
November 9, 2012
Book was a good overview. Met David Edmunds at a history celebration at WV Wesleyan College in 2007. He was a very down to earth guy and a fun person to learn from.
March 26, 2010
For school.. meh.
Want to read
January 14, 2018Winston Groom suggests reading
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews