Existing comment:
Keokuk, c 1790-1848
Keokuk, from the Sac (or Sauk) tribe, was an important spokesman for the Midwestern tribes in their negotiations with the United States government. Caught between the interests of his people and the demands of an expansive America, Keokuk became a tragic symbol of the Indian's precarious position in the antebellum United States. A prominent chief at the time of the War of 1812, Keokuk made his mark as a diplomat. He realized that armed resistance was futile and sought instead to negotiate a series of treaties with the US government. But in 1832 his attempt at compromise broke down, and the Black Hawk War ensued. Keokuk managed to end the war but afterward faced both the enmity of more militant tribesmen and unrelenting American pressure. The Sac Nation was forced west, ultimately to Kansas, where Keokuk died.
George Catlin, c 1835 |