Lesson 2: What Did Lincoln Have To Do With the Black Hawk War?

- Chief Black Hawk was chief of the Sauk Indians, and  Northern Illinois Indian tribe that had been forced westward from their land by the United States government.

- Fighting was important to the Sauks, and is what helped Black Hawk to become chief.

- By age 45 Black Hawk had killed 30 of his enemies.  Killing enemies was part of the Sauk tradition to becoming a brave, a warrior, and a chief.

- In 1795, a treaty was signed by the Sauks, that promised them friendship and protection by the U.S.  They signed the treaty because they thought that the government was going to start helping them rebuild their village and provide them with the necessities they needed to live.

- This treaty was signed because of the white settlers expanding westward in search of better land and resources.

- In 1804 a battle between the whites and the Sauks took place, and the Sauks decided to sign a permanent peace treaty with the U.S.

“What kind of feelings between the indians and the settlers may have helped to lead up to this battle?”

- This treaty gave 15 million acres of Sauk land to the U.S. government in exchange for $2,274.50.

“According the Northwest Ordinance of 1789, the land should have been sold for a dollar and acre.  Was the amount the Sauks received fair?  Lets calculate to find out.”

- Black Hawk and other Sauk chiefs were angered by this.

- They said the treaty was no good because the Sauks that signed it did not represent the rest of the tribe, but the U.S. government would not give in.

- In 1812, the War of 1812 had begun between the English and the U.S.  Black Hawk had a friendship with the English, and decided to fight on their side.

- The U.S. had broken another promise to the Sauks, which helped to confirm Black Hawk’s decision to fight on the side of the English.

- The U.S. had promised to give the Sauks supplies needed for their survival after they took their land, but they never provided them.

- In 1828, the Sauk and Fox Indians were forced to leave their remaining land and move across the Mississippi.

- After a conflict with President Jackson, Black Hawk decided to take his people back to Illinois and reclaim the land they had been forced from.

- The Sauks received an invitation to live with the Winnebago Prophet, where they could live and farm.

- When Black Hawk crossed the Mississippi, Governor John Reynolds called out the militia (an army of settlers) to stop him.

- One of the men who volunteered for the militia was Lincoln.  He was only 22 years old at this time.

- Before volunteering for the militia, Lincoln was working as a general store clerk in New Salem, and trying to gain popularity with the people to be elected to the general assembly.

- Helping him gain popularity, he joined the militia when Governor Reynolds called out the militia.

- Lincoln was elected as the captain of the New Salem militia.

- Lincoln however, left the militia in July before the end of the war, and returned to New Salem in time for the elections.

- Lincoln left before fighting the Indians.

-Black Hawk never made it to the prophet because he was being chased after by the militia.

- Black Hawk was driven back to the Mississippi River and attempted to surrender, but was again attacked.

- The day after attempting to surrender, the militia caught the Sauks in a battle called the Bad Axe Massacre, where dozens were killed.

- Those Sauks that made it across and survived the battle were killed by the Sioux who took the side of the militia.

- Black Hawk survived all this and was forced to surrender, along with the prophet.  This ended the war.

- Black Hawk’s people did not regain their ground.  Instead, they lost many of their tribe and were still starving.

- After Black Hawk surrendered, he was paraded around the east.  The people didn’t look at Black Hawk as bad, but as a hero.

 

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