Student’s Name
Course
Instructor’s Name
Date
Political Power in Illinois in the early 19th Century
The Black Hawk is an American war in 1832 between the Native Americans and the Americans. Native Americans had formed frontier Militia groups lead by Sauk Chief, referred to as Black Hawk by his followers and fought against the United States Army. Black Hawk War occurred in Illinois and Wisconsin is one of the significant conflicts in history between the white settlers and the Americans. The root cause of the treaty was signed in 1804 by the Sauk Chiefs and the U.S government to hand over the land in East of the Mississippi River to the White American’s government. In honour of this treaty, the U.S government paid $2,234.50 in properties and $1,000.00 annuity every year. The American government vowed not to extend any further settlement on the settler’s land. In 1804, the U.S government erected Fort Madison on the Natives land –the western region of River Mississippi. The Sauk people perceived that the Americans had begun further possession of the Native American land. The Mesquakie and Sauk tribes felt that the chiefs who signed the 1804 treaty were ineligible and not permitted to surrender the land to the U.S government. Even though the Native Americans complained about the forced displacement from East land in Mississippi, racism played a significant role in the 1832 conflict in Illinois.
Works Cited
[BlackHawk 1834] Black Hawk; J. B. Patterson (editor). Life of Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak or Black Hawk – Dictated by Himself, published by Russell, Odiorne, & Metcalf, Boston, 1834, 155 pages, retrieved December 27, 2009.