"Tecumseh and the War of 1812"
2
After the War of American Independence, it took many years for things to settle down.
Many Americans thought the whole of North America should be theirs. In 1812, problems
between Britain, Canada, and the United States became so serious that war broke out. Officially,
the war was between the U.S. and Britain, but it was fought in the North American colonies. A
major cause of the war was American anger that U.S. ships were being stopped and searched by
the Royal Navy. This alone would not have led to a war, but the U.S. Congress was dominated
by a group of men known as "War Hawks." They believed it was a prime opportunity to drive
the British out of Canada once and for all.
The Americans thought it would be easy to conquer Canada and didn't expect much
opposition. They underestimated the former Americans living in the colonies and the conquered
French would join them in defeating the British. They were wrong; both wanted to remain under
British rule. The bulk of the fighting was borne by the professional British soldiers and was
supported by Canadian militiamen and also by native troops. The native fighters included Chief
Tecumseh and others from both side of the border. This essay will now discuss how Tecumseh
and his warriors supported the British and Canadians in turning back the U.S. forces in the War
of 1812.
So why was Tecumseh so eager to help the British and Canadians in the War of 1812?
Tecumseh had lost both his father and a brother to white settlers. He himself had fought his first
battle against the white man when he was 15. The American-born Tecumseh had allied himself
with the British because of his struggles against the Americans...