Tecumseh was born in the Shawnee village of Piqua, Ohio on March 9, 1768. That very night, a great meteor lit up the night sky and burned its way across the heavens. Therefore Tecumseh, meaning the Shooting Star or Celestial Panther Lying in Wait was named for this phenomenon. Early in his childhood and into manhood, Tecumseh completely engrossed himself in the Shawnee hunting culture. He became one of the most famous Native Americans as a warrior, and a vibrant orator because he could motivate and inspire his audiences. He understood early that the white man would not rest until all Native Americans were driven out into exile or eliminated completely.
Tecumseh’s plan was to counter this threat by assembling an alliance of all remaining Indian people. This alliance would join together nations from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Midwest to Florida. All Indian people would set aside their ancestral oppositions and unite into a single movement to defend their culture, their homelands, and their lives as necessary.
During the war of 1812, Tecumseh saw the opportunity he had been waiting for to unite his people and stave off the advances of General William Henry Harrison. The British made an accord with Tecumseh that if they are to ally and defeat the United States, the Native Americans would retain the land within the Old Northwest. The allies enjoyed some successes such as at Fort Detroit and Fort Dearborn. However it was not to be, and at the Battle of the Thames River, the weak and disconcerted British and Indian warriors would find themselves overwhelmed in rank and might by the United States. It is here where Tecumseh would spend his final moments as seen previously in a vision. Within 35 years of his death, all Native Americans were driven off of their land and either killed or placed on reservations.