| In order to placate the Indians and begin to
normalize relations with them, King George III formally decreed that there should be no
new settlements developed west of his new Proclamation Line. This officially limited white
settlement to the area east of the Appalachian Mountains, and Indian habitation to the
west of the mountains. But, with the French and Indian War
over, white adventurers and settlers moved west, building communities along the Ohio
River. In 1768, many of the tribes, including the Shawnee and Delaware from Ohio, met with the British to resolve this issue. A new treaty gave all the lands east of the Ohio River to the settlers, and the Indians all the lands west of the river. Only the Iroquois Confederacy signed the agreement. The Shawnee and Delaware felt betrayed since most of the land given away fell within their hunting grounds. Also in 1768, Methotasa, the wife of Shawnee Chief Pucksinwah, gave birth to a baby boy. They named him Tecumseh (panther passing across) which was their word for a comet they had seen in the sky that night. In 1774, Great Britain declared that Ohio, and other Midwest areas under their control, was now part of Canada. This annoyed the American colonists and gave fuel to those who sought revolution. [Back] [Next] [Up] [New Search] 'Indian' segment written in December, 1997 by David Lodge |