Domestic Changes
8th Grade Informational Reading Texts
The American Revolution was over but the new nation was challenged by multiple domestic battles. One of the most prevalent was an ongoing series of strained and sometimes hostile relationships between American settlers and Indigenous peoples. Many tribes felt threatened by expansion which led them to form an alliance with the British. Due to a loophole in the Treaty of Paris, British troops were allowed to remain in the Northwest Territory until the U.S. settled land disputes with indigenous peoples. Also because of the Treaty of Paris, Britain gave up its claim to Ohio.
American settlers rushed across the Appalachian Mountains to the Northwest Territory. Many tribes lived in the Northwest Territory and were pushed from their land. Some tribes attempted to fight back to remain on the land they had occupied. Several battles ensued. President Washington responded by sending troops and militia to try and resolve tensions between white settlers and Indigenous peoples. Many indigenous peoples villages were burned and destroyed and innocent people were killed. Both sides suffered many casualties. The lands of present day Ohio and Indiana became battle grounds and with each battle the hostility and tension rose. In 1790, President Washington sent General Josiah Harmar with 1,400 men to end threat of indigenous attacks in western Ohio. Harmar and his men burned several indigenous villages. To end the attacks, Miami Indian leader Little Turtle and future Shawnee Chief Tecumseh led an ambush on U.S. troops. Harmar eventually retreated. 183 of his men were missing - some were dead, others had run away from the fighting.
Americans continued to try to remove the indigenous tribes from the western frontier, causing both sides to suffer greatly. American troops suffered heavy losses again when General St. Clair led two thousand soldiers against the indigenous peoples in western Ohio, in 1791. Little Turtle led groups of Great Lakes warriors, including some from the Odawa, Potawatomi, and Ojibway tribes in Michigan, to defeat the Americans. St. Clair's regiment suffered almost 1,000 casualties. One survivor recalled, "The ground was literally covered with the dead." The indigenous people had defeated American troops again and tensions continued to rise.
Washington then selected Anthony Wayne to lead a newly trained army to face the indigenous peoples, led by Chief Blue Jacket. In the summer of 1794, General "Mad" Anthony Wayne's troops met what may have been the largest combined group of indigenous people to battle the U.S. The groups met in an area where many trees had been knocked down by a tornado, so the battle was called the Battle of Fallen Timbers. When Wayne and his men reached the area, a large group consisting of tribes of Chippewa, Miami, Ottawa, Potawatomi, Shawnee, Delaware, and a few other tribes were waiting. The battle was quick and the U.S. declared a victory.
The indigenous tribes lost almost twice as many men as the Americans. The British had given supplies to the indigenous peoples before the battle. After the battle the British refused to let them find safety in their fort, Fort Miami. They were afraid to start another war with the U.S. Wayne led his men down the banks of the Maumee River, destroying villages and fields owned by the indigenous peoples. The people who had lived in this area for hundreds of years were forced to find a new home.
On August 2, 1795, the Treaty of Greenville was signed after eight months of negotiation. The treaty was meant to end years of fighting. Several indigenous tribes agreed to live in the Northwest part of present day Ohio; giving up many hundreds of acres they had lived on. Little Turtle encouraged them to live peacefully with the Americans. In spite of the Treaty of Greenville, white settlers continued to push into the region, and onto land reserved for tribes. More battles occurred and several more treaties were formed, each pushing the indigenous tribes further west. The end result was that many Great Lakes and East coast tribes were pushed off of their land and to survive, used land of other tribes.
The U.S. government and the indigenous people struggled for control over the land for the next 20 years. Tribes felt threatened and had great concern for their future. In 1812, America declared war on Great Britain as an attempt to end the attacks on American ships and end British restrictions on American trade. At this point the Great Lakes tribes saw an opportunity to fight for their land and succeed. They formed an alliance with the British. Warriors, lead by Shawnee war Chief Tecumseh, fought with the British against Americans in the War of 1812.
American settlers rushed across the Appalachian Mountains to the Northwest Territory. Many tribes lived in the Northwest Territory and were pushed from their land. Some tribes attempted to fight back to remain on the land they had occupied. Several battles ensued. President Washington responded by sending troops and militia to try and resolve tensions between white settlers and Indigenous peoples. Many indigenous peoples villages were burned and destroyed and innocent people were killed. Both sides suffered many casualties. The lands of present day Ohio and Indiana became battle grounds and with each battle the hostility and tension rose. In 1790, President Washington sent General Josiah Harmar with 1,400 men to end threat of indigenous attacks in western Ohio. Harmar and his men burned several indigenous villages. To end the attacks, Miami Indian leader Little Turtle and future Shawnee Chief Tecumseh led an ambush on U.S. troops. Harmar eventually retreated. 183 of his men were missing - some were dead, others had run away from the fighting.
Americans continued to try to remove the indigenous tribes from the western frontier, causing both sides to suffer greatly. American troops suffered heavy losses again when General St. Clair led two thousand soldiers against the indigenous peoples in western Ohio, in 1791. Little Turtle led groups of Great Lakes warriors, including some from the Odawa, Potawatomi, and Ojibway tribes in Michigan, to defeat the Americans. St. Clair's regiment suffered almost 1,000 casualties. One survivor recalled, "The ground was literally covered with the dead." The indigenous people had defeated American troops again and tensions continued to rise.
Washington then selected Anthony Wayne to lead a newly trained army to face the indigenous peoples, led by Chief Blue Jacket. In the summer of 1794, General "Mad" Anthony Wayne's troops met what may have been the largest combined group of indigenous people to battle the U.S. The groups met in an area where many trees had been knocked down by a tornado, so the battle was called the Battle of Fallen Timbers. When Wayne and his men reached the area, a large group consisting of tribes of Chippewa, Miami, Ottawa, Potawatomi, Shawnee, Delaware, and a few other tribes were waiting. The battle was quick and the U.S. declared a victory.
The indigenous tribes lost almost twice as many men as the Americans. The British had given supplies to the indigenous peoples before the battle. After the battle the British refused to let them find safety in their fort, Fort Miami. They were afraid to start another war with the U.S. Wayne led his men down the banks of the Maumee River, destroying villages and fields owned by the indigenous peoples. The people who had lived in this area for hundreds of years were forced to find a new home.
On August 2, 1795, the Treaty of Greenville was signed after eight months of negotiation. The treaty was meant to end years of fighting. Several indigenous tribes agreed to live in the Northwest part of present day Ohio; giving up many hundreds of acres they had lived on. Little Turtle encouraged them to live peacefully with the Americans. In spite of the Treaty of Greenville, white settlers continued to push into the region, and onto land reserved for tribes. More battles occurred and several more treaties were formed, each pushing the indigenous tribes further west. The end result was that many Great Lakes and East coast tribes were pushed off of their land and to survive, used land of other tribes.
The U.S. government and the indigenous people struggled for control over the land for the next 20 years. Tribes felt threatened and had great concern for their future. In 1812, America declared war on Great Britain as an attempt to end the attacks on American ships and end British restrictions on American trade. At this point the Great Lakes tribes saw an opportunity to fight for their land and succeed. They formed an alliance with the British. Warriors, lead by Shawnee war Chief Tecumseh, fought with the British against Americans in the War of 1812.