Longlisted for the Children's Literature Roundtables of Canada
Information Book Award
Two hundred years after his death, the Shawnee chief Tecumseh is still
considered one of the greatest leaders of North America's First Peoples.
This richly illustrated biography tells the story of his remarkable
life, culminating in the War of 1812.
Tecumseh, born in 1768, lived during turbulent times: the thirteen
colonies revolted against British rule, becoming the United States in
1776, and settlers had begun to push westward, rapidly encroaching on
the traditional lands of the First Peoples. Tecumseh realized that
unless the tribes came together to form a great confederacy, they would
never be able to hold onto their land. And so he began to travel great
distances, encouraging many tribes to join forces with him against the
Americans.
On June 18, 1812, the US declared war on Great Britain. Tecumseh sided
with the British, hoping to create an independent native state north of
the Ohio River. He developed a magnetic friendship with Major General
Isaac Brock, commander of the British troops in Upper Canada, and
together they took Fort Detroit. Tecumseh and Brock agreed that one of
the goals of their alliance should be to restore lands that had been
taken from native peoples. But shortly afterwards Brock was killed in
the Battle of Queenston Heights. Tecumseh rallied those loyal to him and
fought on relentlessly, but was killed in the Battle of Moraviantown in
1813. Tecumseh's dreams were never fulfilled, but he remains a symbol of
justice for the First Peoples of North America.
Tecumseh will be published on the 200th anniversary of the War of
1812. The book includes an epilogue, a timeline, a glossary and maps.
