He did not die in a blaze of glory at the hands of his enemy, but remained a proud symbol of resitance.
I have elected to examine the career of Black Hawk as a means of looking into the effect that active resitance has had on Native Americans in general. Although he did not accomplish the victory he envisioned, and in fact witnessed the virtual destruction of his tribe, his life was not wasted. Black Hawk stood against the inevitable...the ebbing away of native control. To this day he reamins present in the American mindset. Why else would we venerate him by naming a particular aircraft after him. I wrote of Black Hawk not because of what he did not accomplish, but because of what he stood for. To put it without flourish, Black Hawk is the American spirit.
