Black Hawk War
Black Hawk was a chief of the Sauk Indians. He fought
on the side of the British during the War of 1812. In 1804, his
people had lost their lands east of the Mississippi River in a
treaty with the United States government. Black Hawk said the
treaty was not legal
because the Indians
had been tricked
when they signed
it. He said his
people did not have
to obey the
agreement and led a
band of them across
the Mississippi
River and back into
Illinois. Black
Hawk was brave
and intelligent, but
he could not win
against the
thousands of
soldiers who
attacked the group.
The Sauk were
trapped against the
river. Hundreds
died in the battle or
drowned trying to cross the river back into Iowa. Enemy tribes
attacked those who made it to the other side. Chief Black Hawk
was captured and sent to prison. When he was released, he was
sent to live on a reservation in Iowa. Among the volunteers who
had gone to look for Black Hawk was a young man named
Abraham Lincoln.
Chicago Is Established
After the Native Americans were forced out of Illinois and
onto reservations farther west, settlers continued to pour into the
state. From 1830 to 1860 the number of pioneer families
Glossary
reservation—an area
of land set aside for
Native Americans; a
place where Indians
were forced to live by
the United States
government
Blackhawk. Courtesy Abraham Lincoln
Presidential Library.
