Tecumseh's Vision

They have driven us from the sea to the lakes, and we can go no farther.
They have taken upon themselves to say this tract of land belongs to the Miamis, this to the Delawares and so
on. Our father tells us that we have no business on the Wabash -- that the land belongs to other tribes. But the
Great Spirit intended it to be the common property of all the tribes, nor can it be sold without the consent of
all.

The United States has not treated the Indians dishonestly nor
unjustly. Indians are not one nation, nor do they own the land in common. Has not the Great Spirit given them
separate tongues?

As the Great Chief in Washington is to determine the matter, I hope the
Great Spirit will put some sense into his head to induce him to direct you to give up this land. It is true, he is so far off. He will not be injured by the war. He may still sit in his town, and drink his wine, whilst you and I
will have to fight it out.

Listen! Father! We are much astonished to see you tying up everything and
preparing to run the other way. You always told us to remain here and take care of our lands. It made our
hearts glad to hear that was your wish. But now we see you drawing back like a fat animal, running off with
its tail between its legs.
Listen! Father! The Americans have not yet defeated us by land. We, therefore, wish to remain and face our
enemy should they make their appearance. If you have an idea of going away, leave us the guns and
ammunition and you may go and welcome for it. Our lives are in the hands of the Great Spirit. We are
determined to defend our lands, and if it is his will, we shall leave our bones upon them.

Hope -- hope and freedom. That's what I thought
he stood for. And his vision that he had, the way he looked into the future and tried to stop progress for the
red people.



These are all random quotes taken directly from the transcript of the show. Ones that I thought really stood out. For me, the entire story of Tecumseh is very inspiring. More so is the story of his brother... who had vision and gave up drinking. He became known as the prophet and even made the sun stand still in the sky to prove he was sent from god.

Revolution is a difficult thing. Tricky at that. It is the cause of death and war. But it potentially can bring peace over a tyrannous government. When the Great Chief of the Americans issued orders to push them further to the edge, these people who wanted to leave peacefully were forced into war. I believe they took the right action, however violent it was. Unfortunately the Americans were dishonorable fighters and struck early. And that the English, those of common decent as myself, fled on the eve of battle... afraid of death in a cause they believed was not their own... simply because they were white and also taking the land. Its unfortunately that the great heroes are remembered tragically. But such is the way of history.