According to the United States, the leaders of the Sac and Fox groups "signed" a treaty in 1804 which deeded the land west of the Fox River to the US. Black Hawk did not acknowledge this treaty because the negotiator, General William Henry Harrison, did not consult the entire council of Sac and Fox nations. In addition, Harrison intoxicated the leaders with whiskey, making them more susceptible to any agreement. Even the leaders who did sign admitted they never thought they would be forced to leave their ancestral hunting grounds. These "whiskey treaties" are responsible for much of the land that was "deeded" to the US in the 19th century.
In 1816, a new treaty was signed by Black Hawk which agreed to sell Sac and Fox land to the US, with the understanding that the Natives would be allowed to live there as long as the government owned the land. Black Hawk had later admitted he would never have signed the treaty if he had known he was giving away his village.
The Sac and Fox nations were able to remain on their land with little conflict until 1828. That winter, white settlers moved into their main camp of Saukenuk. In spite of their perseverance, the Sac and Fox nations were not able to persuade the settlers to leave their land. The US government intervened, citing the 1816 treaty and demanded the removal of the Natives to west of the Mississippi river.
The war began in April 1832 when Black Hawk and 2,000 of the Sac and Fox (over half women and children) moved from their winter to their summer hunting ground. When they crossed the Mississippi River into Illinois to plant their spring crop, they sealed their fate. Governor Reynolds called the militia in to remove the natives and the fighting began.
The different Potawatomi bands were not in agreement about the war. Several, including Shabbona and Waubonsie aided the whites, while some sided with Black Hawk. All of the groups would eventually be removed to the west regardless of their viewpoint.
Despite some embarrassing defeats experienced by the US troops (who reportedly were drunk during most of the fighting), Black Hawk had led his people into a tragic end. In the summer of 1832, a white flag was raised by the Sac and Fox which was ignored by the US troops. In the end, out of 2,000 men, women, and children, less than 100 survived.
There is no way to shed a positive light on the events in which our country took part. The actions taken against the Native populations of America were immoral, illegal, and reprehensible. The war was considered an embarrassment to the US government and is largely forgotten outside of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. It should not be forgotten, however, because not only did the war effect the lives of the Sac and Fox, but all of the Native populations living in the region. Even the groups who sympathized with the US were not able to remain. The end of the war enabled Northern Illinois to be settled by white farmers meaning that every native group would leave the Illinois country.
The Potawatomi groups in the Fox River region did not remain long after the war was over. Waubonsie led his band west to Iowa in 1834-35, and other Potawatomi bands soon followed. Due to settler expansion, the Natives were unable to remain on the land they once lived. By 1837, all of the Potawatomi were removed from Illinois to Iowa and Missouri. Descendants of the Potawatomi still reside in eastern Kansas today.
Several sources were compiled to provide the information in this account. More information about the history of US and Native relations and the Black Hawk War is available at the Heritage Center.
