Having already set out on his mission of unification, Tecumseh now sought to establish a base of operations to serve as the capital of his new nation.
As Tecumseh traversed the western expanse in an effort to ally the scattered tribes of Ohio and Indiana to his union, his brother Tenskwatawa expanded upon his new philosophy of life. In November of 1805, he gathered the principal leaders of the Shawnee in their historical capital, Wapakoneta, and revealed his visions. According to extant historical records, Tenskwatawa informed the assembled Shawnee chiefs that the Master of Life was displeased with the way his people were conducting themselves. According to Tenskwatawa, the Shawnee had angered their primary deity by falling prey to the “vices” of the white man (alcohol, guns, and the concept of private property over communal ownership). In order to walk in the light once again, the Shawnee must abandon these practices and embrace the master’s plan. Furthermore, Tenskwatawa argued that following this new path would allow the Shawnee to retake their lands—they would be immune to the guns of the white man and protected by the Master of Life’s divine hand.
Having convinced many of the Shawnee leaders to accept his philosophy, Tenskwatawa resolved to send forth missionaries to the western tribes and spread his message. While his brother raised the spirits of the Shawnee, Tecumseh appealed to the leaders of the tribes in Ohio and Indiana and had managed to convince many to join him. Needing a central space where the members of this alliance could gather, the brothers founded a town at the confluence of the Tippecanoe and Wabash Rivers (located in Indiana) in 1808. Prophetstown, also known as Tippecanoe, was to be the political and spiritual center of Tecumseh’s union. Moreover, the city was designed to serve as the capital of the Indian state that would eventually exist in the region. Using Prophetstown as a staging area, Tecumseh made several more trips to the western tribes and solidified his alliance. Though these actions, he was trying to accomplish more than the creation of an Indian state—he was extolling the virtues of a nativist revolution to combat the American apparatus to the east. Combining the need to organize into a cohesive political unit with the spiritual philosophy of Tenskwatawa allowed Tecumseh to appeal to all levels of native society—not only the leaders, but the individuals as well.
By 1808, Tecumseh had convinced twenty tribes to join his alliance—the Potawatomi, Sac, Fox, Menominee, Winnebago, Kickapoo, Ottawa, Wyandot, Lenni Lenape, Chippewa, Miami, Illinois, Osage, Ioway, Seneca, Onondaga, Creek, Seminole, Choctaw, and Cherokee. Gathering at Prophetstown, representatives of the alliance created a plan of government and consolidated their military forces. In the meantime, the whites of the region were growing nervous as more and more Indians gathered in their new capital. Fearing the fire and brimstone-like message of Tenskwatawa, they brought their concerns to the Governor of Indiana Territory, General William Henry Harrison. In 1810, Harrison dispatched a terse letter to Tecumseh and the leadership of the new alliance, accusing them of inciting violence fomenting revolution among the tribes. In response, Tecumseh met the governor at Vincennes in August of 1810 and defended the union of tribes. The intent of the alliance was not to incite violence but to provide a buffer zone against further annexation by the Americans. Each side was now posturing and tensions were once again rising to dangerous heights.
For more on Tecumseh
http://nativeamericanfirstnationshistory.suite101.com/article.cfm/tecumseh_union
