Native Americans Battle Pioneers | The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen (S1, E2) | Full Episode

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(male narrator) Previously on "The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen.." [intense music] Brave pioneers like Daniel Boone blazed a trail into the wilderness.. ...moving west to fulfill a dream. They fought to forge a new nation.. ...the United States of America. Now, the young country must hold its ground to survive. ["Save My Soul" singing "Born Ready"] ♪ I've been the last one standin' ♪ ♪ When all the giants fell ♪ Whoa-oa-oa whoa-oa-oa ♪ Whoa-oa-oa whoa-oa-oa ♪ I won't shiver I won't shake ♪ I'm made of stone I don't break ♪ ♪ Staring at the pressure now ♪ I won't quit not backing down ♪ ♪ I was born ♪ Born ready ♪ I was born ♪ Born ready ♪ Open my eyes turn me loose ♪ And you'll see why ♪ I was born ♪ Born ready ♪ (male narrator)ming] The American Revolution has been over for nine years.. ...but the frontier remains a war zone. [dramatic music] Like other Native American leaders Shawnee war-chief, Tecumseh has watched thousands of pioneers surge into his homeland. And now he's fighting back. (Robert) The Americans continued to push the frontier. The pressure was on the Indians to move and get out of the way. The frontiersmen were out there trying to scrape out a living trying to get rich, taking land. The Indians did what any person does to defend your homeland and your life. [gunshots] [intense music] [gunshots] [tribesman howling] [indistinct yelling] [grunting] [groans] [grunting] (male narrator) The Shawnee are one of over 20 tribes in the Ohio Territory.. [cheering] ...part of the area surrendered by the British in the Treaty of Paris which ended the American Revolution. But it's land that Native Americans have claimed for generations. (David) The key provision of the Treaty of Paris is that the British have to leave the Midwest giving this huge territory over to the Americans. But you still have, of course, the Native American tribes who were not party to the treaty and who were not about to just accept all these Americans flooding over the Appalachian Mountains. (male narrator) Tecumseh spent his whole life fighting American expansion. He was raised by legendary Shawnee warrior Chief Blackfish, who died fighting as a British ally during the Revolution. (Amy) Tecumseh's childhood was nothing short of traumatic. In the attacks by whites he lost his father and his infant brother at a very early age. He was constantly moving to try to avoid attack. At the age of ten, he was taken in to Blackfish's family and treated as a foster son. And then the loss of Blackfish was the loss of yet another father figure and yet another hero. [dramatic music] (male narrator) Determined to force settlers out of Ohio Tecumseh joins warriors from over a dozen tribes in guerilla attacks along the frontier. Over the next year 2500 Americans are killed. In one attack alone, Native American warriors wipe out 1000 local militiamen. Native people see the United States as weak, militarily. In native people's minds, they could defeat the Americans and take control of Ohio again. (male narrator) By 1793 the flow of settlers grinds to a halt creating a crisis in the nation's capital. [indistinct chatter] President George Washington is starting his second term and the government owes over 75 million dollars to France, Spain and the Netherlands.. ...nations that helped finance the Revolutionary War. Washington's plan to pay it off hinges on settlers buying frontier land. Each acre costs one dollar and the government has a 160 million acres to sell. (David) The only hope to get out of these massive debts is to sell those lands in the west. But, the Native American people there, uh, were not about to accept all these Americans flooding over the Appalachians. And they attack. Well, this now starts to inhibit the sale of all these lands that the federal government is counting on to balance their budget. (male narrator) Four years earlier, Washington commissioned the nation's first professional army. Now he sends over 2000 troops to the Ohio Territory to crush Native American resistance and reopen the frontier to land sales. (Yohuru) Washington recognizes that the bloodshed has to stop. It compels Washington to send troops to provide a barrier of protection for American settlers in the region and, in some sense, to encourage people to continue to move out into the frontier which everyone understood at that point would be the future of the United States. (male narrator) Among the army's officers is a man who will one day be president.. ...William Henry Harrison. William Henry Harrison was a very ambitious man. And he saw the west as a stepping stone to reach national stature and leadership. (male narrator) One of Harrison's officers is a young lieutenant who in just 12 years will help lead one of the greatest expeditions in American history. His name is William Clark. His brother fought with Daniel Boone in the revolution and now he's determined to make a name for himself. (Clay) William Clark was the younger brother of a very famous man, George Rogers Clark. George Rogers Clark had played this really important role in America's successful Revolutionary War in the west. All of his life, William had been comparing himself to his older and famous brother. He wanted to prove his own worth. (male narrator) The army's mission is clear. Eradicate the Native American threat. But the resistance has grown to 1500 warriors from dozens of tribes.. ...including Tecumseh's Shawnee. And they've been secretly tracking the army through Ohio. [dramatic music] [shouts in foreign language] [gunshots] Return fire! [gunshot] [indistinct yelling] [groans] [grunting] [grunting] Fall back! [breathing heavily] [indistinct yelling] [grunting] [man screaming] [indistinct yelling] [grunting] (male narrator) On the northwestern edge of modern-day Ohio.. [groaning] ...William Henry Harrison and the US Army brigade sent by George Washington to secure the frontier are under a surprise attack by native warriors, including Tecumseh. Fall back! Fall back! [indistinct yelling] Lieutenant William Clark regroups his men for a counter strike. Fix bayonets. 'On my command.' [indistinct yelling] Charge! [dramatic music] [screaming] [grunting] Fire! 'Fire!' It's the largest US Army force Native Americans like Tecumseh have faced in battle. Fire! It turns into a bloodbath. [shouting in foreign language] [dramatic music] [grunts] Overwhelmed and outnumbered the Native Americans retreat. (Amy) The battle was something of a turning point. The natives had a sense of hope. They believed that they were in a position of power in comparison to the US. And here they realize that is not the case. (male narrator) The conflict will become known as the Battle of Fallen Timbers. And it changes the balance of power on the frontier. Within a year.. ...at Fort Greenville in western Ohio.. ...the victorious Harrison finalizes a peace treaty with the Native American leaders. Convinced they can't defeat the powerful US Army over a dozen tribes surrender their lands in the Ohio Territory.. ...opening 25,000 square miles to peaceful settlement. But some tribes refuse to accept defeat. (Donald) Tecumseh did not sign the Treaty of Greenville because this was the land, his home space that his people had always had that his, his father gave his life for that his older brother gave his life for. If he was going to sign with anything he was gonna sign with his own blood. (male narrator) Tecumseh retreats beyond the Ohio River.. ...to plan his next move. [intense music] Over the next decade.. ...42,000 pioneers take advantage of the new-found peace streaming into modern-day Ohio and Indiana to carve out a new life on the frontier. The people that went to the frontier were people that wanted a new life. (Bill) They wanted to make some money. They wanted to get land. One thing that characterizes this country is that we like the idea of charting our own destiny and that was the frontier for so many Americans. (male narrator) With the frontier seemingly at peace many Americans feel confident. But in Washington newly-elected president, Thomas Jefferson isn't convinced. He sees a young nation surrounded by powerful empires hungry for land. France to the south, Spain to the southwest and the biggest threat of all, Great Britain to the north. (Brands) When the British acknowledged American independence they did so with an understanding that they still intended to be influential. And they still had designs on the western part of North America. And they were very suspicious of the emergence of the United States. (male narrator) Jefferson believes there's only one way to protect America. Expand. (David) Jefferson has a vision for the future of America. And his idea is that in order for America to be a free and independent country it's gotta be a country of independent land owners. And in order for that to happen, it's gotta spread. (Clay) When Jefferson looked west, he saw empty space. He saw a sort of blank slate. He didn't want to share America with old-world powers like France and Spain and Britain. So he wanted, effectively pave the way for America's control of the entire American continent between the Atlantic and the Pacific. (male narrator) To realize his vision Jefferson takes a huge risk. In the spring of 1803 he secretly negotiates with Napoleon to buy the French port of New Orleans. (Brands) Jefferson understood that whoever controlled New Orleans controlled the Mississippi Valley. To his surprise, the French government said "Why don't you take the rest of Louisiana?" Jefferson had not gone out looking for Louisiana. Napoleon essentially dropped it in Jefferson's lap. (male narrator) Known as the Louisiana Purchase this vast tract of land costs 15 million dollars. About 250 million today. It stretches from the Mississippi to the Rockies and from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada doubling America's size overnight. The Louisiana Purchase was the greatest real-estate deal in the history of the world, not just in American history. (Bill) And Thomas Jefferson had the boldness to run quickly and make that deal. (male narrator) But not everyone sees the value of the Louisiana Purchase. Jefferson's enemies said, "The President is buying land that we don't require, with money that we don't have." But Jefferson realized two things a great bargain when he saw it and that this was probably the most important moment thus far in American history. (male narrator) The president has a plan to prove his doubters wrong. He'll send an expedition to explore the new land. But he won't stop there. His goal is to go all the way to the Pacific and claim the western coast of the continent for America. It took Jefferson, a man who never traveled more than 50 miles west of his birthplace to have the vision to do this thing and to create what he called an "Empire for Liberty." So this story is as important a foundation story of American greatness as any other story we have. (male narrator) President Thomas Jefferson has to explore over 800,000 square miles of newly-purchased land and find a trade route to the Pacific Ocean. To lead the mission Jefferson turns to his most trusted aide an old family friend named Meriwether Lewis. Send this out right away. Thomas Jefferson had known Meriwether Lewis' father. He had known Meriwether Lewis since he was a child, practically. (Robert) He served as President Thomas Jefferson's private secretary for two years. Thomas Jefferson knew Meriwether Lewis was a very intelligent person and he knew that Meriwether Lewis would understand what his objectives were. And he certainly expected him to carry those out. (male narrator) For Lewis, it's the opportunity of a lifetime.. ...one that comes despite a troubled past. [grunting] While serving in the army, a series of barroom brawls earns young Lewis a court martial.. ...and a transfer to a remote outpost in the Ohio Territory. His commander, William Clark a hero from the Battle of Fallen Timbers and a man who will alter the course of his life. I will not tolerate any fighting amongst the men under my command. Is that clear? Yes, sir. You're dismissed. (Clay) Lewis' father died when he was just a boy. It's possible to see Lewis as searching for, perhaps, a father figure or a figure of stability in his life. And I think Clark immediately recognized that Lewis was extremely intelligent but that he also was troubled in some essential way. [instrumental music] (male narrator) Under Clark, Lewis learns structure and discipline and he rises through the military ranks. By 1800, he's promoted to captain. (Clay) Clark had an enormous stabilizing effect on Meriwether Lewis. And from that moment on they formed a-a very close friendship. Clark was always the older brother who was doing what he could to calm down his mercurial friend and to keep him on task. (male narrator) In 1801, Lewis is called to the White House. Now, two years later he prepares for the most ambitious expedition in the young nation's history exploring the newly-acquired Louisiana Territory. The Missouri could possibly lead all the way to the western coast. Look. (male narrator) Lewis spends nearly a year learning everything he can about the frontier. Jefferson has one of the world's best libraries and he gives Lewis a crash course in geography and science. (Clay) Jefferson helped him to learn latitude and longitude. Lewis worked with America's most famous botanist. He learned something about medicine. And so in the, in the course of a couple of months Lewis got a smattering of all of the enlightenment arts that an explorer ought to have. (male narrator) But despite their preparations neither Lewis nor Jefferson can predict what the expedition might face. (Robert) The middle part of the continent was completely a blank map. They didn't know what was out there. No Americans, no Europeans had been across that part of the continent. And Jefferson, in fact, thought there were dinosaurs out there. [intense music] (male narrator) In May 1804 Lewis arrives in Missouri the staging ground for his expedition and is reunited with the mentor he handpicked for the mission. Captain Lewis. Captain Clark. A pleasure to see you again. (Clay) Clark recognized that Lewis was a genius. He was asked almost at the last minute to join Lewis. He was quite happy to do so. He wanted to be a part of the great, heroic crossing of the continent. Careful, boys. Come on, two hands, two hands. There we go. Good. (Yohuru) Lewis and Clark their strengths and strong qualities complement each other. Alright. There could not have been a better duo uniquely positioned to help lead America into that area. (male narrator) Lewis and Clark will lead 45 men west past the boundaries of known civilization. They hope the Missouri River will connect directly to the Pacific Ocean but it's uncharted wilderness. The map that Lewis and Clark took went to, like, St. Louis and then was blank, blank, blank, blank, blank. Move those to the front. Thank you. (male narrator) Not knowing what dangers might lie ahead the expedition amasses the largest arsenal the frontier has ever seen. Let's make sure these stay dry. It was as brilliantly planned an expedition as has ever been mounted by anybody. (Clay) They had weapons, gunpowder, ball, lead and they carried medicine. The best estimate is that they were starting out with about 60,000 pounds worth of gear. (male narrator) On May 21st, 1804.. ...Lewis and Clark begin their journey west. I mean, to try to make it all the way across our continent and get to the Pacific Ocean is similar to what Neil and Buzz had on Apollo 11, possibly.. ...going, uh, all the way to the surface of the moon. (male narrator) Lewis and Clark have no idea what they'll find or if they'll make it back alive. [indistinct chatter] (male narrator) President Thomas Jefferson has sent Lewis and Clark on a mission to explore the Louisiana Territory.. ...and find a route to the Pacific Ocean. If they succeed, it will open up vast new areas to American trade and settlement and justify the boldest move of Jefferson's career. Well, for Thomas Jefferson, he knew there was something out there in our great land, but he didn't know what it was. It was a gamble to send Lewis and Clark. (male narrator) Their plan is to use the Missouri River as a highway following it as far west as possible. In his greatest fantasy, Jefferson almost seems to see a, a sort of interstate highway system of rivers where there are no barriers, where you somehow can just thread your way across the continent with the greatest of ease. He should've known better. (male narrator) By early winter 1804 Lewis and Clark are stalled in present-day North Dakota. They've come less than a thousand miles from St. Louis. They build a shelter called Fort Mandan. It attracts a handful of trappers and traders venturing west. (Clay) While they were at Fort Mandan there were also British and French traders who were embedded amongst the Mandan. And so they were asking questions of anybody they could find what-what they should expect. (male narrator) They soon learn that further travel by water is impossible and they'll have to continue overland. Then, in November.. ...they meet a French-Canadian trapper and his wife a 17-year-old Shoshone named Sacagawea. Sacagawea was incredibly important to the Lewis and Clark expedition. (Kathleen) She could be an ambassador for them somebody who could talk to the local Indians and, uh, tell them what Lewis and Clark were doing there. And having a woman and especially a woman with a baby with your party was a universal sign that you came in peace. (male narrator) With new plans in place Lewis and Clark wait out the winter in North Dakota. Over a thousand miles away settlers continue to pour into Native American lands in the Ohio Territory. With them comes the spread of a deadly disease.. ...smallpox. And it hits Tecumseh's Shawnee tribe hard. (Amy) The smallpox epidemics were a tremendous blow to the Shawnees and to their neighbors. There was, of course, widespread death brought to a people who were already destabilized by so many other factors. (male narrator) Tecumseh had retreated to present-day Indiana after his defeat by the US Army at the Battle of Fallen Timbers.. ...hoping to plot a new strategy to resist America's western expansion. But this unexpected crisis derails all his plans. In spring 1805 Lewis and Clark follow their new guide, Sacagawea into the wilderness. They're trying to find an overland route to the Pacific. If they succeed, they will open the west to Jefferson's dream and Tecumseh's worst fear.. ...more settlers. [upbeat music] They've moved beyond any known map charting new ones as they go. They also identify over 300 new varieties of plants and animals completely changing what's known about wildlife in North America. (Brands) It was part of Jefferson's plan to make this a scientific expedition. Jefferson had always been curious about the frontier. He was curious about lots of things including the flora and the fauna of the frontier things that he hadn't seen. (Clay) Lewis and Clark spent literally hundreds of hours taking down data and making repeated observations. Latitude, longitude, descriptions of animals descriptions of plants, mineral samples. Lewis discovered a 122 animals. The big-horned sheep and the grizzly bear and the pronghorn antelope. Clark was working by dead reckoning and he produced a stunningly accurate map of the American West. This was a very rich expedition of discovery. (male narrator) But it's a journey full of peril. (Steven) If you want to get a sense for how mysterious the western lands were to the Lewis and Clark expedition consider that they felt that it was a very real possibility that they would run in to wooly mammoths along the way. That was as strange to them as it would be for you or me to step foot on planet Mars. (Clay) When Lewis left on April 7th, 1805 they were entering into an extremely hazardous land. Gonna be a long journey, maybe a fatal one. And they were all alone, essentially vulnerable in the midst of the wilderness. [dramatic music] (male narrator) Deep in the unexplored American wilderness.. ...beyond the edge of any known map.. ...Lewis and Clark are ambushed by an unknown tribe. They're badly outnumbered and have no choice but to trust their 17-year-old guide, Sacagawea. [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] (Clay) This was without question the most tense moment of the entire expedition. Lewis and Clark spoke English only and she's now having this conversation. They were very frightened, maybe she was leading them into an ambush, maybe something worse. [speaking in foreign language] Sacagawea. (male narrator) By sheer coincidence the tribal leader is Sacagawea's long-lost brother. (Clay) She was born Shoshone out on the Montana-Idaho border. At about the age of 11 or so she was captured by a Hidatsa raiding party had been gone for many years was presumably never coming back. Suddenly, here she is in the presence of these white strangers and she looked at this man and recognized him to be her brother. That's sort of like a Shoshone miracle. (male narrator) Lewis and Clark are welcomed by the Shoshone and Sacagawea helps broker trade. Now that the expedition has to travel overland they need horses. (Robert) The greatest thing that she may have done for the expedition was helping to solidify that relationship because the Shoshone then sold Lewis and Clark 28 horses. At that point, Lewis and Clark offered to leave her behind with her birth people, the Shoshone but she chose to go on with them. I think that she felt that she was part of something bigger than anything else that she could have imagined in her life. (male narrator) Lewis and Clark continue west determined to fulfill Jefferson's mission to reach the Pacific. Further east, in the Indiana Territory the smallpox epidemic continues with devastating effect.. ...killing thousands of Shawnee. I mean, what happens to a culture what happens to a society when 80% of the people die out? (Robert) This was a disaster for the Shawnee and they became very weak. (Amy) There was confusion, there was despair. It bred a kind of religious mania a search for the answer why these people were being judged in this way. (male narrator) A path forward comes from a surprising source Tecumseh's brother, Tenskwatawa. [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] (Amy) Tecumseh's younger brother was the family embarrassment. He was clumsy, he was not known for his physical courage. He was an alcoholic. And that was when his life turned around. [speaking in foreign language] (Amy) He had a kind of spiritual vision and he believed that he was the embodiment of the message that would save the Shawnee people. (male narrator) Tenskwatawa claims his vision reveals the tribe's past and future. Showing salvation lies in rejecting modern influences and returning to traditional ways. As word of his vision spreads.. ...Native Americans from different, even warring tribes come to hear him. Tecumseh sees a strategic opportunity in these unprecedented gatherings. [speaking in foreign language] Shawnee leader Tecumseh recognizes that if the natives are to survive white incursion they need to band together. [speaking in foreign language] (Donald) Tecumseh knew he could not lead his people as just one Indian Nation. He would have to build a larger Indian nation. (male narrator) It's a strategy inspired by the example of the United States itself. As Tecumseh saw the different colonies come together following the American Revolution in seeing this new United States and actually it begin to work, he thought why not then a United Indian Nations? Why not bring them together? (male narrator) His goal, establish a sovereign Pan-Indian Nation next door to the US. From the Appalachian Mountains to the Mississippi River. (Amy) Never before had someone tried to bring other native nations together in a way that then could effectively stop land cessions to the United States. Tecumseh was at the forefront of this kind of movement and it would change Native America forever. (male narrator) To do it, Tecumseh launches a diplomatic mission traveling across the frontier and recruiting an army. (Amy) Tecumseh essentially went on tour. He was face to face talking about what it would mean to stand up for their lands and for their ways of life and for their identities. He was a gifted orator. [speaking in foreign language] He won hearts and he won minds. (male narrator) As his influence grows word of Tecumseh's campaign spreads creating growing concern across frontier settlements. The concept of a Pan-Indian alliance struck fear in the American government and the American public. You have to remember the American Revolution succeeded because you had these different colonies.. ...coming together and then working as a collective. Theoretically, if Tecumseh is able to unite the tribes in the Midwest, from the Mississippi Delta all the way up to Minnesota maybe they could defeat America. (male narrator) With the future of the frontier at stake Tecumseh's Pan-Indian alliance prepares for war. [intense music] (male narrator) Lewis and Clark have spent a year crossing a thousand miles of uncharted wilderness.. ...to find a land route to the Pacific.. ...and expand the American nation. [instrumental music] Now, they face a daunting obstacle.. ...the Rocky Mountains. They rise over 14,000 feet.. ...stretching 3000 miles across the continent and winter is closing in. (Clay) Lewis and Clark had never seen anything like the Rocky Mountains. Their idea of mountains were the Appalachians so they couldn't even begin to understand what they were facing. Not only were the mountains much higher but Lewis said the western mountains were covered with almost eternal snow and you couldn't see from one end to the other end of the mountains. [instrumental music] (Robert) When Meriwether Lewis sees 60 to 70 miles of snow-capped peaks he must have been distraught. He must have thought the expedition was over and they had no chance of success. (male narrator) Over 700 miles from the nearest settlement.. ...Lewis and Clark can either turn back.. ...or attempt to cross the mountains before winter. For them, the choice is clear. On September 1st the expedition begins their ascent.. ...embarking on the most dangerous leg of their journey yet. (Mark) Having been somebody who has flown in combat as a Navy pilot, has been a test pilot and an astronaut, you know, I think when you're doing really hard things inevitably there are incredibly difficult roadblocks and challenges. And I think if you're the type of person that just kind of throws your hands up and, and surrenders, uh, then you don't win. My definition of courage would be somebody who would be able to work hard towards an objective that is inherently not good for their health. (male narrator) With every peak they pass the temperature drops by ten degrees. (Mykel) When that cold sets in you know, everything gets harder. Your brain slows down, your body slows down you need more energy to do things there's less energy available, less food less fire, and so what happens is people start to crumble. And if they don't keep moving if they don't find the will they're just plain dead. [dramatic music] (male narrator) Their pace slows to just ten miles a day. And at high altitude, there's no game so they're forced to eat their pack horses to survive. A team of men like Lewis and Clark traveling forward through rugged terrain and especially in cold weather requires an enormous amount of food. The human body in those conditions needs from 2000 to 4000 calories per day. [dramatic music] (male narrator) Nearly two weeks after entering the Rockies.. ...the expedition has depleted its food supply.. ...and is forced to eat candles made from animal fat to stay alive. [instrumental music] After 28 days of grueling hardship.. ...Lewis and Clark clear the Rockies.. ...and head toward the Pacific. (Aron) In order to continue pushing they had to have some other motivation. It's not really about the food or about the chance of-of surviving or not. It was a sense of, of duty, of mission. (male narrator) One month later the expedition reaches the Columbia River in modern-day Oregon. And then, on November 15th, 1805.. ...after traveling more than 4000 miles.. ...Lewis and Clark finally reach the Pacific. (David) It's almost mind-boggling to think of the challenges that they faced. And that these individuals were doing it for months on end living off the land, uh living by their own self-reliance. [instrumental music] (Bill) Lewis and Clark deserve credit as the greatest expeditioners in certainly American history that brought America new territory and a new identity as a country. (male narrator) The Lewis and Clark expedition is the first to cross the North American continent overland. [instrumental music] They build a fort near the coastline in the Oregon Territory proudly claiming the land for the US. Congratulations, captain. (Clay) Lewis and Clark had wanted the world to know that we had been there. This just wasn't boasting. This was also claiming the country on which they had built this temporary compound. This was the first and most significant gesture for what became the completion of the American continent. [music continues] (male narrator) But Great Britain also has interests in the Pacific Northwest and sees this American fort as an act of aggression. [instrumental music] In March 1806 after establishing a fort on the Pacific Coast.. ...and fulfilling Thomas Jefferson's vision for expanding the nation.. ...Lewis and Clark begin their 4000-mile journey home. (Clay) When Jefferson heard that Lewis and Clark had crossed the continent successfully, he said he read the news in Lewis' letter with unspeakable joy. He was vindicated in his belief that the continent could be crossed and that it could be mapped. Lewis and Clark opened the west to those frontiersmen who would follow because once they described what was out there then the unknown became partially known. And from being partially known to being settled was just one more step. [indistinct chatter] (male narrator) Great Britain sees this American expansion as an immediate threat. When Lewis and Clark raise the American flag they were clearly beyond the boundaries of the Louisiana purchase. The Pacific is extremely important to Britain. They have an active fur trade on the West Coast, and it's threatened by the coming of the Americans. (male narrator) While the Pacific northwest is technically unclaimed the British are entrenched beyond the Canadian border and they have a powerful interest in dominating the fur trade here. From 1800 to 1810 the British earned 2.8 million pounds from selling fur.. ...the equivalent of $22 billion USD today. The fur trade and especially the fur trade to China in sea otter pelts was probably the most lucrative economic activity in the world at that time. (male narrator) To keep the US out Britain stirs up trouble on the American frontier a tactic used during the Revolution. [dramatic music] (John) The British understood they were never going to bring the United States back into the British Empire as colonies. But what they wanted to do is they wanted to protect Canada. And the best way they saw of protecting Canada and the Northwest was to create a Native American buffer state at the frontier. (male narrator) The British seek an alliance with a growing power on the frontier...Tecumseh. He now heads a force of 5000 warriors.. ...and they invite him to meet. (male #1) 'Thank you for meeting with us.' Your people and mine, we have a common enemy. 'The Americans have taken your land' 'and now they want ours as well.' Together, we can drive the Americans back. (Amy) The British invite Tecumseh to Canada to talk and many of their messages are familiar to him. Don't trust the United States. If Great Britain can re-establish control then there will be a halt to westward expansion. But Tecumseh doesn't trust Great Britain. [dramatic music] (male narrator) Confident in his power Tecumseh rejects their offer and continues building his alliance. In 1808.. ...he creates the first Pan-Indian village. To honor his brother, he calls it Prophetstown. For the first time ever members of enemy tribes are living together. Soon, Prophetstown has 3000 inhabitants and grows larger every day. (Stephen) Tecumseh's message traveled far and wide by word of mouth by runners through the woods. And there were many native people who traveled to Prophetstown because they wanted to experience his power and his message first-hand. [dramatic music] (male narrator) While Tecumseh forges his ground-breaking push for Pan-Indian unity.. ...the two men who led the great expedition west return to St. Louis. (David) At the time it was not considered such a monumental moment. The-the accounts of it were not even published, uh, right away and most congressmen didn't quite get what it was all about. [dramatic music] (male narrator) Lewis and Clark's paths will diverge in the years to come. (Yohuru) Clark does fairly well in the aftermath of the Lewis and Clark expedition. He is actually able to capitalize on the celebrity and goes on to a very successful life. (male narrator) Clark becomes a brigadier general in the Army and then the first governor of the Missouri Territory. He stays close to Sacagawea through the years. And when she dies unexpectedly in 1812 Clark becomes legal guardian to her children. (male narrator) While Clark prospers.. ...the same can't be said for his partner. (Yohuru) Meriwether Lewis' story in some sense is tragic because despite what we now celebrate as one of the greatest accomplishments in American history Lewis himself felt like a failure. He hadn't been able to realize any material gain or substantive material gain from all the work that he and Clark had done. [dramatic music] (male narrator) He never marries and will continue to struggle with alcohol and depression. (Clay) A friend of a president the leader of the most successful exploration in American history and for whatever reason his life just never quite gels when he gets back. And he felt it in a letter. At one point he said, "I have never felt less like a hero than I do at this moment." (male narrator) In October 1809, isolated and alone Meriwether Lewis takes his own life. [intense music] (male narrator) In the Indiana territory Tecumseh's power and influence are growing. And he goes on the offensive. In August 1810, he demands to meet with old adversary, William Henry Harrison to negotiate the peaceful return of lands seized after the Battle of Fallen Timbers. Now, governor of Indiana Harrison agrees to the meeting but his goals could not be more different. Fire! [gunshots] (Amy) William Henry Harrison was committed to the expansion of the west putting land into white hands, into US hands. And he was not scrupulous in the way he pursued his goals. [instrumental music] Please, have a seat. [music continues] How can I help you and the Shawnee? [speaking in foreign language] [speaking in foreign language] (male #2) I am not here for the Shawnee. I am here on behalf of the United Indian Nations. You took our lands from us. We want them back. I took nothing. 'I negotiated for those lands on behalf' of the United States Government. If you don't agree with the terms then your quarrel is with the chiefs who signed those treaties.. ...not with me. [dramatic music] [dramatic music] If you don't agree with the terms then your quarrel is with the chiefs who signed those treaties.. ...not with me. (male narrator) At a US military camp in the frontier wilderness a tense negotiation between former combatants Tecumseh and William Henry Harrison.. ...escalates. [music continues] [speaking in foreign language] A time for war will soon come. 'But I did not come here today to fight.' [music continues] (Amy) Tecumseh left that first historic meeting with William Henry Harrison as a realist who appreciated that there was going to be no fair resolution with the United States and that conflict was coming. (male narrator) Determined to win the inevitable fight to come Tecumseh doubles his efforts to recruit more warriors. Knowing the Shawnee leader is absent.. ...Harrison marches on his capital.. ...Prophetstown. (Amy) Harrison claims that he is going to be coming to speak in goodwill to them. But there's every evidence that he's coming to attack. He brings over a thousand men. They are not in any way prepared to defend themselves from attack. [dramatic music] You, follow him. Still Harrison proceeds to destroy Prophetstown. [clamoring] (male narrator) Without orders from Washington Harrison strikes, reducing the village to ashes. (David) William Henry Harrison understands, uh that eliminating Tecumseh will make him a national hero. You get rid of Prophetstown while Tecumseh is away and burn down their capital and fill all of these Indian tribes with dreaded fear. (male narrator) To send a clear message Harrison's men do more than destroy. They commit acts of unspeakable horror. He goes to the graves at Prophetstown orders his men to dig up the bodies and mutilate the bodies and leave the bodies where they lay. This was unimaginable psychological warfare. (male narrator) Known as the Battle of Tippecanoe it makes Harrison a national figure. [instrumental music] Within days, word of Prophetstown's destruction reaches Tecumseh.. ...enraging tribes across the frontier. It lit a fire under the Native American Alliance that Tecumseh was already building. It fueled fury toward Harrison and toward the United States. [speaking in foreign language] (male narrator) While rallying the Muscogee Nation in December 1811 Tecumseh tells them his revenge will shake the Earth. And the next night.. ...his words seem to come true. (male narrator) Shawnee war chief and strategist, Tecumseh has spent years building a Pan-Indian coalition to resist American settlement and regain native lands. [speaking in foreign language] (male narrator) After the destruction of Prophetstown an enraged Tecumseh wants revenge. [speaking in foreign language] (male narrator) The next night.. ...Tecumseh's prophecy seems to come true. [dramatic music] [rumbling] The entire frontier is rocked by three consecutive earthquakes estimated to be a 7.9 on the Richter scale. Known as the New Madrid earthquakes they're strong enough to be felt in a half-dozen states. (Amy) The New Madrid earthquakes were remarkable. They had tremendous impact. The Earth behaved in a way that it hadn't before. And so, this seemed to be a supernatural apocalyptic event. And that being tied to Tecumseh and his message gained even more mythical status for him and for his entire movement. [dramatic music] (male narrator) Empowered by this sign Tecumseh rallies yet more warriors to his cause. To ensure victory Tecumseh now seeks an alliance with the United States' strongest enemy.. ...the British. (Yohuru) Tecumseh decides to align himself and his coalition with the British because he sees a strategic advantage not only to end white settler incursion into native lands but to ultimately be able to take their territory back. (male narrator) Word of Tecumseh's alliance with Britain soon reaches Washington where President James Madison views it as the latest in an escalating series of British insults. Madison believed the British were not treating the United States with the respect that the Americans believed that they deserved as an independent sovereign country. The British seized American vessels on the high seas the British seized American sailors the British armed and provoked American Indians in the west. We behold on the side of Great Britain.. ...a state of war. [applauding] (male narrator) On June 18th, 1812 almost 30 years after winning its independence the United States declares war on Great Britain. A lot of people called the war of 1812 the second war for American independence. (male narrator) The president's first priority is to send reinforcements to Fort Detroit in current-day Michigan. It's on the border of British Canada and whoever controls it controls the American frontier. As 200 US troops move north.. ...Tecumseh ambushes them with 24 warriors.. ...and a clever attack plan. (Amy) One of the hallmarks of Tecumseh's military strategy was repeatedly making enemies think he had far more warriors than he actually had. He moved them around in such a way making noise, kicking up dust made it appear that his forces were vastly superior in number. [intense music] [howling] [footsteps approaching] [howling] [groaning] [screaming] [grunting] [intense music] [howling] (male narrator) As 200 American soldiers head to Fort Detroit.. [grunting] ...they're ambushed by Tecumseh.. ...and 24 warriors. [screaming] [dramatic music] [yelling] [dramatic music] Even though he's vastly outnumbered Tecumseh prevails. And he turns his sights to Fort Detroit itself. (Walter) Detroit's pretty important because it's the gateway to what's called Upper Canada. Basically the area we know as Ontario today. (John) Detroit was, uh, the administrative center of The Great Lakes. So, the control center for the entire American west. [intense music] (male narrator) By 1812, Tecumseh is a legend across the frontier. And terrified by his reputation the soldiers manning the fort give up without a fight. [music continues] [speaking in foreign language] (John) Because the American commander at Detroit was grossly incompetent Tecumseh and his British allies were able to take the American fort at Detroit without firing a single shot. (male narrator) With the American surrender the British now control the most important fort on the frontier. [music continues] After a lifetime of violence under US expansion.. ...this is Tecumseh's chance for revenge. Please. [speaking in foreign language] Tecumseh was dedicated not only to the ideal of the Shawnee warrior, but to his own standard of morality. [intense music] (male narrator) Tecumseh's choice is more than an act of mercy. It's a strategic act of diplomacy. (John) Tecumseh understood that he was essentially fighting a defensive war against the forces of United States' expansionism. He did not want to push the war to the depths of barbarity and savagery that would have made it impossible for him to negotiate at a later time with the United States. (male narrator) With the defeat at Fort Detroit.. ...Britain claims the Michigan territory for the crown and cements their alliance with Tecumseh's Pan-Indian nation.. ...news that alarms the US Government and threatens the young country's future. (male narrator) Next time.. ...on "The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen.." ...in Tennessee, a young general named Andrew Jackson.. ...vows to stop Britain and her allies...at any cost. - Ahh! - Come on, men! Andrew Jackson was often thought of as the second coming of George Washington. George Washington wins independence for the United States, Andrew Jackson defends independence for the United States. Fire! (male narrator) He fights with famed frontiersman, Davy Crockett. David Crockett looms huge in the notion of what the American frontier was. He became a symbol of possibility. (male narrator) The fate of the United States depends on this new generation of frontiersmen. Do not test me. [dramatic music]

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Channel: HISTORY

Views: 2,189,926

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Keywords: history, history channel, history channel shows, history special, history documentary, watch history channel, watch history show, men who built america, frontier, frontiersman, american west, westward expansion, manifest destiny, Never Surrender, season 1, episode 2, The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen, Into the Wilderness, watch The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen online free, The Men Who Built America: Frontiersmen full episodes, United States History, American History

Id: kBs8W7OeNAU

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Length: 80min 21sec (4821 seconds)

Published: Thu Feb 02 2023