workingclasshistory:

On this day, 27 April 1763, Native American Odawa leader Pontiac spoke at a council meeting of Odawa, Wyandot and Potawatomi tribes to try to encourage others to join him in attacking the British military outpost Fort Detroit. It was an early episode in what became known as Pontiac’s war, when a loose confederation of Indigenous nations in what is now Michigan, Illinois and Ohio, came together to try to drive out British colonists.
In contrast to French colonists who formed alliances with Native American tribes and gave gifts, the British ceased gifting and treated Indigenous peoples as conquered subjects, driving resentment. Eventually, members of over a dozen tribes including the Miami, Seneca, Lenape, Huron and others joined forces and began attacking British forts. Over the next three years Native American forces successfully seized or destroyed several British forts.
Despite British forces having superior weaponry, and at least attempting to use smallpox as a weapon to decimate the Indigenous nations, they could not defeat them outright. Therefore colonial authorities were forced to make concessions, creating a large “Indian Reserve” which colonists were forbidden to trespass on, and recognising certain Native American land rights. This caused resentment amongst the local colonists, and fuelled white support for independence from Britain.
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Pictured: An illustration of Pontiac speaking at the council https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=616166397223246&set=a.602588028581083&type=3