Of course, Tecumseh's quest to unite the tribes and overcome the American government was a quxotic one.
Ultimately, the polices of the Jackson administration, after Tecumseh's murder in 1813 resulted in the genocide of virtually all of Native American tribes in the area. The remaining native populace was relocated to the Western Territories. But for a reader who does not know much about this period, other than the fact that such a removal occurred, this text provides a powerful introduction to the personalities of the era. It makes what seems a lost culture come to life. Also, it gives individual characteristics to the different personalities of the Indian leaders, and makes it clear that the tribes were not merely a faceless conglomerate of oppressed persons, but warring factions with intertribal conflicts, for which unity was a difficult and considerable achivement.
In contrast, historians who focus on Andrew Jackson and the significance of settlement, in enfranchizing poor whites stress Jackson's achievement in protecting settlers and the significance of providing land to a large group of poor American citizens. Viewing the Indian...
Tecumseh was not simply a great fighter, but also a great politician. This Native American leader understood that unity, and a single governmental body was the only way to deal with the American government, the only possible way that the government might possibly treat the Native American populace as a legitimate political interest, with a claim upon the territories. Unfortunately, the subject of Edmunds' biography died too soon for his influence to have its full effect upon the futures of his people.
Works Cited
Edmunds, David. Tecumseh and the Quest for Indian Leadership. New York: Longman,
Love, Christopher." Andrew Jackson and His Indian Wars."
Air Force Law Review. Spring 2002. [11 Oct 2006]
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m6007/is_2002_Spring/ai_103223914/pg_4
