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→Pontiac’s rebellion, 1763
==Pontiac’s rebellion, 1763==
==Pontiac’s rebellion, 1763==
The greatest of the pan-Indian uprisings was Pontiac's Rebellion of 1763-66. After the British defeated the French in 1760 they assumed sovereignty over all the Indians of the Great Lakes region The British installed small detachments of regulars in a series of forts, but cut back on the gifts the French had regularly provided. The Indians felt threatened by the advance of white settlers over the mountains. Of critical importance was the mystical advocacy of pan-Indian resistance by Delaware Prophet, and the brilliant diplomacy of Pontiac in forming an alliance among the Ottawa, Wyandot, Potawatomi, Ojibwa, Delaware, Seneca and Shawnee tribes, Delaware Prophet denounced inter-tribal wars and liquor. Greatness could be restored if the Indians would purify themselves, gave up white ways (including firearms), and "Drive off your land those dogs clothed in red who will do you nothing but harm." In May, 1763, the alliance simultaneously attacked all the British forts. Those that did not fall immediately were put under siege, but the Indians lacked the artillery necessary to batter down thick wooden walls. Two thousand white settlers who could not reach blockhouses were scalped. Eventually British regulars reinforced or recaptured the forts. In 1766 a treaty ended the rebellion, with no one punished. With the French gone, there was no way the Indians could sustain a war against the British. The rebellion taught the British to be prompt in their scheduled payments to the tribes.
The greatest of the pan-Indian uprisings was Pontiac's Rebellion of 1763-66. After the British defeated the French in 1760 they assumed sovereignty over all the Indians of the Great Lakes region The British installed small detachments of regulars in a series of forts, but cut back on the gifts the French had regularly provided. The Indians felt threatened by the advance of white settlers over the mountains. Of critical importance was the mystical advocacy of pan-Indian resistance by Delaware Prophet, and the brilliant diplomacy of Pontiac in forming an alliance among the Ottawa, Wyandotte, Pottawatomie, Ojibwa, Delaware, Seneca and Shawnee tribes, Delaware Prophet denounced inter-tribal wars and liquor. Greatness could be restored if the Indians would purify themselves, gave up white ways (including firearms), and "Drive off your land those dogs clothed in red who will do you nothing but harm." In May, 1763, the alliance simultaneously attacked all the British forts. Those that did not fall immediately were put under siege, but the Indians lacked the artillery necessary to batter down thick wooden walls. Two thousand white settlers who could not reach blockhouses were scalped. Eventually British regulars reinforced or recaptured the forts. In 1766 a treaty ended the rebellion, with no one punished. With the French gone, there was no way the Indians could sustain a war against the British. The rebellion taught the British to be prompt in their scheduled payments to the tribes.
To minimize conflict, London proposed (in the [[Proclamation of 1763]]) to keep the Americans on eastern side of the mountains. The Americans, however, refused to be bottled up and insisted that the only defense against Indian attacks was an aggressive offense. Since Britain refused to take the offensive, white frontiersmen increasingly came to the conclusion that they needed a government that would.
To minimize conflict, London proposed (in the [[Proclamation of 1763]]) to keep the Americans on eastern side of the mountains. The Americans, however, refused to be bottled up and insisted that the only defense against Indian attacks was an aggressive offense. Since Britain refused to take the offensive, white frontiersmen increasingly came to the conclusion that they needed a government that would.
==American revolution: 1775-1783==
The Americans demanded that the Indians remain neutral, and some did so. A few supported the Patriot cause. The majority of Indians worked for a British victory, and used British weapons and supplies to attack American outposts. George Washington sent an army in 1777 that drove the hostile Indians out of New York permanently; they resettled in Canada.
==War of 1812==
The Indian attacks on western settlements were encouraged by the British government, and were a major reason for the U.S. declaration of war against Britain in 1812. General [[William henry Harrison]] destroyed the Canadian Indians in 1813, killing the leader [[Tecumseh]]. General [[Andrew Jackson]] destroyed the Creeks and the southern Indian threat in 1814.
==Seminole war==
The Seminole Indians in Florida fought several long, grueling wars against the U.S. Army. They finally lost and were resettled in Oklahoma.
==Western wars==
The most famous wars--in literature and film--came in the western states after 1840. The most famous opponents were the [[Sioux]] on the northern plains,. The most famous battle was [[Custer's Last Stand'' in 1876. The wars ended in 1890 with the [[Wounded Knee Massacre]].
==Morality of the Indian Wars ==
==Morality of the Indian Wars ==