Tecumseh Speaks on the Dreams of His People Anna Harrison: Religion, Social Issues and Reform
Skill: Middle School Time Required: 2 class periods
Although the tenure of William Henry Harrison in the White House was brief, there is no shortage of stories about the hero of the Battle of Tippecanoe. He was a famed Indian fighter, frontier governor, and politician that eventually rode that fame into the White House. Anna Harrison and her husband William Henry Harrison lived during a time of massive Native American removal from the lands east of the Mississippi. In many ways Harrison can be considered the antagonist in this tale. If Harrison is the Antagonist, then surely the great Shawnee Chief Tecumseh is the tragic protagonist.
1 Students will be able to accurately describe the plan Tecumseh had to keep the whites from taking any more Indian land.
2 Students will interpret the tone and purpose of Tecumseh’s speech to William Henry Harrison in August of 1810.
3 Students will be able to list and discuss specific injustices perpetrated on Native Americans by the United States Government.
Having the class research the life of Tecumseh could extend this lesson. Students could create a timeline of events up to the eventual death of Tecumseh at the Battle of Thames. Another interesting assignment would be to have the students write an alternate history with the topic being what might have happened if Tecumseh had been successful in uniting all the Native American Tribes.
Websites:
Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream" Speech
Tecumseh's Speech to William Henry Harrison
The Battle at Tippecanoe
Credits: This lesson was developed by Robert McClelland, Cleveland Metropolitan School District.