Chief+Blackhawk

Chief Black Hawk   Chief Black Hawk, whose full name was actually Black Sparrow Hawk, was a very important part of history in the Sac and Fox tribes in Iowa and Illinois During his lifetime, he fought for his land many times, and he played a big part in the Black Hawk Wars. He was looked up to in his tribe, and even many Americans admired Black Hawk for being a great leader.  Black Hawk was born around 1767 in Kaskaskia, somewhere in Illinois. He was raised on the Rock River in a village called Saukenuk. From a very young age, he learned how to be a great warrior. By the age of 15, he had killed his first man, and after that he led many war parties to victory. All of this warrior experience led to his position as War Chief of the Sac and Fox tribes. Black Hawk married Asshewaqua, which means Singing Bird, and stayed with her for life. In the Sac tribe it was not typical to stay with one wife for your whole life. Typically, men married many women over their life, and it was not looked down upon in Sac culture.  By 1804, the United States government was trying to get the Sac and the Fox to sign a treaty that would move them even farther westward. Blackhawk was obviously against the treaty, and eventually the government got the treaty passed, and they started pushing the two tribes westward. The United States government got some signatures on the treaty from the Sac tribe, but they were not even tribal chiefs. Also, they got the Indians to drink heavily before signing the treaty, so it was not done by will. By 1832, Black Hawk was very angered with the treaty, and he organized several other tribes to ally with the Sac and the Fox to press the United States back out of the Indian homelands. However, he didn’t have much for allies, so many Sac Indians died, and Chief Black Hawk was eventually captured on August 1, 1832. This was the Battle of Bad Axe, and it took place at Fort Crawford. Black Hawk’s last words were: "You have taken me prisoner with all my warriors - I fought hard”. He was sent to Washington D.C., where he met with Andrew Jackson and other government officials. This was officially the end of the Black Hawk War. He remained in captivity until 1833, when the United States let him go back to his tribe along the Iowa River.   Black Hawk fought a two week long struggle with illness in 1838, and eventually died on October 31,1838. His remains were buried along the banks of the Des Moines River. A man by the name of James Turner stole Black Hawk’s remains, and used them for exhibition. He travelled around, and charged people to look at the remains. Turner was told to return the remains, and he gave them to the Burlington Geological and Historical Society. The remains stayed there until there was a fire in 1855 which destroyed everything.  Chief Black Hawk was definitely an idol in the eyes of many Sac and Fox Indians, and even in the eyes of many Americans. He was a fierce warrior, and he led the Sac through many victories on the battlefield. He never really picked fights with white settlers- he was just defending his land, and he was trying to stay on his land. He definitely had a major impact on U.S history, and especially the history of Iowa and Illinois. Black Hawk was a great Indian chief, and he will be remembered forever. Works Cited  1. "Black Hawk and Keokuk." //Iowa GenWeb Project Welcome Page//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 2. "Black Hawk and the Sac Indians - Presented by Illinois Genealogy Trails History Group." //Genealogy Trails History Group - Finding Ancestors Wherever Their Trails Led//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 3. "Black Hawk Biography." //Biography.com//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 4. "Black Hawk (Sauk Leader)." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 5. "Black Hawk War — Infoplease.com." //Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free Online Reference, Research & Homework Help. — Infoplease.com//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 6. "Black Hawk War." //United States History//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 7."Black Hawk War." //Utah History to Go//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 8. "Black Hawk War." //Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 9. "The Black Hawk War." //Wisconsin Historical Society//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 10."The Black Hawk War~Continued: Story, Pictures and Information - Footnote.com." //Footnote.com - The Place for Original Historical Documents Online//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 11. "Black Hawk’s War « The Edge of the American West." //The Edge of the American West//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 12.Blackhawk, Chief. "Untitled." //FORDHAM.EDU//. Aug. 1997. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 13. "History Engine: Tools for Collaborative Education and Research | Episodes." //History Engine: Tools for Collaborative Education and Research | Home//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 14.//Illinois National Guard Public Web Site//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 15. Lewis, James. "Black Hawk War of 1832." //Abraham Lincoln Historical Digitization Project//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. . 16.""mule" (Civil War)." //Wisconsin Historical Society//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 17."Native American Culture." //Thunder People - Home Page//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 18."Sauk Indian Tribe History." //Access Genealogy: A Free Genealogy Resource//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 19."Utah Black Hawk War Factoids." //Black Hawk War: Utah's Forgotten Tragedy//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. []. 20. "Www.riverroads.com - Your Online Guide to the Great River Road AndMississippi River." //Www.riverroads.com - Your Online Source for Great River Road and Mississippi River Travel Information!// Web. 15 Apr. 2011. .