Pontiac's+Rebellion

**Pontiac's Rebellion**


 * [[image:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Pontiac_conspiracy.jpg height="197" caption="Pontiac's Council "]] ||
 * Pontiac's Council  ||


 * [[image:http://wallington09.wikis.birmingham.k12.mi.us/file/view/Chief_Pontiac_Picture_3.gif/134094479/Chief_Pontiac_Picture_3.gif height="201" caption="Chief Pontiac "]] ||
 * Chief Pontiac  ||

Pontiac's rebellion also commonly known as Pontiac's War was a conflict between the British crown and a temporary league of parts of some Native American tribes that were dissatisfied with the way the British colonials treated them after the French-Indian war of 1754. It was named after chief Pontiac of the Ottawa tribe who was the most prominent and influential figure of the Indian side. His greatest opponent was British general Jeffrey Armherst (who was commander in chief of America until 1763) and the outcome of the war was a stalemate with the Indians conceding land around the Niagara Falls to the British control while compelling British authorities to change certain diplomatic policies with the Natives.

It all began with the Seven Years' War when France and the British empire were engaged in warfare in Europe as well as control within North America. The war for power in North America was called French-Indian war and was virtually over after general Armherst besieged the town of Montreal in 1760. Following the treaty of Paris in 1763, the British Crown drafted and implemented a series of new policies on how to regulate and control its newly ceded lands. Prior to the war, the French established relationships with the native tribes particularly for fur trade as well as land exploration. Gift exchange was a common practice that was considered to have value among the Indians. They would receive commodities such as knives, guns, clothing, and tobacco from the French and then they would distribute them among their people. When the British came along, they saw the Native Americans as a conquered people and their lands as possessions thus choosing to treat them as slaves. At the same time, the Shawnee and Delaware tribes in the east were being displaced by British settlers. Gradually, these policies drew anger and oppression among the subjected tribes and sparked grounds for war.

On April 27, 1763, Chief Pontiac spoke at a council a few miles below the settlement of Detroit. He convinced a number of Ottawas,  Hurons, Ojibwas , and Potawatomis take part in besieging Fort Detroit. On May 7th he tried to enter with 300 armed men to overtake the fort but the British were aware of his plan and were prepared to counter it. After the chief realized that his plan was foiled he had a second council and a few days later he decided to lay siege on the fort. The result was a stalemate. The Native Americans were able to kill any soldiers and settlers that were outside the fort but they weren't able to overtake the stronghold. They targeted primarily British soldiers and civilians while leaving the French alone. After the arrival of reinforcements the British tried to retaliate with a surprise attack but chief Pontiac was prepared and defeated them at the battle of Bloody Run on July 31st, 1763. As the war went on however, chief Pontiac's influence began to wane and once he was convinced that the French would not support his cause, he began to withdraw.

Apart from the unsuccessful attempt to seize fort Detroit, other smaller forts were overtaken by the Indians. They were able to capture five forts from the British between May 16 th and June 2nd of 1763. The first was Fort Sandusky which was taken by a small group of Wyandot Indians. The second one was Fort St. Joseph which was captured by the Potawatomis. Fort Miami was the third one to fall by the Miami Indians, the fourth one was Fort Quiatenon which was taken by Weas, Kickapoos, and Mascoutens in the Illinois Country and finally Fort Michilimackinac fell to local Ojibwas and visiting Sauks. The practices used in taking these forts were usually by surprise. For example at forts Sandusky and St. Joseph the Indians entered under the pretense of having a council. They ended up killing the 15 men garrisons and seizing the commanders. In Fort Miami the local commander's native mistress lured him to the Natives. For Fort Quiatenon the Indians lured the British outside of the fort under the pretense of a council where they killed as many as they could. Finally, for Fort Michilimackinac they played stickball as a diversion while the Native women smuggled weapons inside the fort. It was the only fort taken without any bloodshed.

From the summer of 1763 and on, the revolts were limited to skirmishes. General Armherst was recalled back to London and was replaced by general Gage. He then delegated his subordinate, general William Johnson, to conduct a peace treaty with the Indians at Niagara Falls. The treaty took place at Fort Niagara between July and August of 1764. About 2000 Indians attended it, primarily Iroquois. The result was concession of the Niagara Portage to the British and the return of any rogue Senecas to the Covenant Chain. To end the tension in Illinois Country, the British decided to use diplomacy. On July 25, 1766, they invited chief Pontiac to New York, where he made a formal treaty with William Johnson at Fort Ontario. It was hardly a surrender: no lands were ceded, no prisoners returned, and no hostages were taken. Three years later, chief Pontiac was murdered by a Peoria chief in the village of Cahokia in Illinois. <span style="font-family: Candara,sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0in;">In conclusion, Pontiacs war was determined to be a stalemate rather than a one sided victory. Both sides didn't really accomplish what they wanted. The British lost a lot of troops to maintain their control over their newly ceded lands and the Indians weren't able to drive off or annihilate the settlers from the besieged forts, but they did however force the British to change their diplomacy tactics and behavior.

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<span style="color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal;">"Pontiac's Rebellion — Infoplease.com." //Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free Online Reference, Research & Homework Help. — Infoplease.com//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. <<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; url(http: //www.wikispaces.com/i/a.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding-right: 10px;">[] >. <span style="border-bottom-style: none; border-color: initial; border-left-style: none; border-right-style: none; border-top-style: none; border-width: initial; color: #000000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 9pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 0.33in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 2; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-top: 0in; widows: 2;">"Americans." //Department of Geography | Michigan State University//. Web. 15 Apr. 2011. <<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; url(http: //www.wikispaces.com/i/a.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 100% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; padding-right: 10px;">[] >.