Shawnee

The Shawnee: A Perspective on American History by Colin McClung



The Shawnee are a Native American group who originally lived in the east central United States, in the states now known as Ohio, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Indiana, and Pennsylvania. Geographical features that would have limited this group's ability to move include the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River. Pre-1492, this group interacted with other Native American groups -- especially the Iroquois and the Powhatan. The Shawnee would eventually shape American history by fighting with the French in the French and Indian War, by fighting with other Native American groups in the [|Northwest Indian War] against the U.S., and by fighting (with Tecumseh) against other U.S. expansion into Native lands.
 * Introduction:**

The Shawnee believed that they began as mindless bodies, being given thought and medicine after their god saw that they could not survive as is.
 * Religion (Worldview):**

The Shawnee have no clear records of population until modern times. Currently there are about 14,000 Shawnee in the U.S.A.
 * Population in the United States:**

Once again, the Shawnee have no clear records, but it is believed they were originally a Powhatan colony led in the beginning by the son of the Powhatan chief of the time.
 * HISTORY:**

Previous to 1614, there is no record of the Shawnee. Legend holds the Shawnee were the southern-most branch of the Algonquin peoples (which included the Powhatan and the Iroquois). Like those peoples, the Shawnee were farmers of crops -- a stability which allowed them to develop government and war.
 * 1492: Columbus’ Arrival in the Americas**


 * 1521: Cortes Encounters the Aztecs in Mexico

1607: English Colonists Arrive at Jamestown** In a Dutch map from 1614 is the first possible record of the Shawnee, labeled as the "Sawwanew."

The Shawnee were in contest with the Iroqouis that year, constantly losing. However, by the time settlers came, the Shawnee were the only inhabitants of the Shenandoah Valley.
 * 1687: English Colonies Expand**

In 1753, the Shawnee fought with the French against the English in the French and Indian War. Five years later, they swapped sides and joined the English. From 1785-1795, the Shawnee would fight against the U.S. for control of land in the Northwest Indian War.
 * 1776-1787: American Revolution; U.S. Constitution**

In 1790-1805, the larger part of the Shawnee population had moved west, leaving behind two groups.
 * 1802: Tlingit Battle the Russians at Sitka**

From 1815 onward, the majority of the Shawnee population had signed treaties to make sure they could stay on their lands, or had joined with the general English population.
 * 1839: The Amistad; the Trail of Tears**


 * 1850: Fugitive Slave Law Made**


 * 1863: The U.S. Civil War; Emancipation Proclamation

1890: Westward Movement; Reform Movements

2009: Today** Today there are three governentally


 * Works Cited:** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northwest_Indian_War, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shawnee