The legendary Shawnee chief, Tecumseh is killed in the Battle of the Thames. This Canadian History for Kids, Sketches of Canada, looks at this brave hero.
Tecumseh in Shawnee means “Shooting Star” or “Panther In The Sky”. This Canadian History for Kids article begins when Tecumseh was born about March 1768. Tecumseh is believed to have been born in a Chillicothe along the Scioto River, near the present-day city of Chillicothe, Ohio.
This Canadian History for Kids article continues at age 15, after the American Revolutionary War, when Tecumseh joined a band of Shawnee who were determined to stop the white invasion of their lands. Tecumseh became the leader of his own band of warriors.
Tecumseh joined the British against the Americans in the War of 1812. His support for Major-General Sir Isaac Brock at the capture of Detroit was important.
As a brigadier general, Tecumseh led over 2,000 warriors and fought at the sieges of Fort Meigs, and Fort Stephenson, and his last battle was the Battle of the Thames at Chatham Ontario. There, clothed in traditional Aboriginal deerskin garments, he was killed leading his warriors in a final stand against the invading Americans.
Did you know that there is a curse named after Tecumseh?
The name the “Curse of Tecumseh” or “Curse of Tippecanoe”. Tecumseh’s brother Tenskwatawa, known as the Prophet, supposedly set a curse against William Henry Harrison. He is the man who led the battle for the United states when Tecumseh died.
Harrison would become the President of the United States after the battle. Tenskwatawa set a curse against Harrison and future White House occupants who became president during years with the same end number as Harrison.
“Curse of Tecumseh” or “Curse of Tippecanoe”.
This is what has happened since the curse.
Elected 1840, William Harrison died of Pneumonia.
Elected 1860 Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
Elected 1880 James Garfield was assassinated.
Elected 1900 William McKinley was assassinated.
Elected 1920 Warren Harding died of a heart attack.
Elected 1940 Franklin Roosevelt had a cerebral hemorrhage.
Elected 1960 John Kennedy was assassinated.
Elected 1980 Ronald Reagan had an attempted assassination.
Elected 2000 George Bush had an attempted assassination.
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Andy Chavez at the plate. A soft ground ball to the second baseman. A quick throw to first base. The third and final out of the ballgame. And the end of major league baseball for the city of Montreal.
October 3rd, 2004 is the final game for the Montreal Expos. This Canadian History for Kids, Sketches of Canada, looks at the Expos and end of an era in Montreal.
Montreal did have a team before the Expos. They were known as the Montreal Royals. They were a minor league team for the Brooklyn and LA Dodgers. That team created many major league stars. Sparky Anderson, Roberto Clement, Duke Snider, Don Drysdale and Tommy Lasorda.
The team made baseball history for being the first major-league affiliate to break the “baseball color barrier”. On October 23, 1945 the royals signed Jackie Robinson.
This Canadian History for Kids article continues when the Dodgers decided to move their farm team closer to LA in 1960, leaving the city of Montreal without baseball. Montreal city council worked hard at bringing baseball back to the city and after nine years, the Expos made there debut in the Major Leagues. The first Major League team outside of the United States.
The team was named after the Expo 67 World’s Fair and started play at Jarry Park Stadium. This Canadian History for Kids article continues after the 1976 Summer Olympics, starting in 1977 the team’s home park was Montreal’s Olympic Stadium.
They weren’t very good at the start but eventually the team won 95 games in 1979, finishing second in the National League East. The team won its only division championship in the strike-shortened split season of 1981, ending its season with a 3 games to 2 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series.
This Canadian History for Kids article continues during the 90’s when the team again fell on hard times, and fewer and fewer fans were showing up the cold and unfriendly Olympic Stadium. The team was eventually sold and moved to Washington, where they still play as the Washington Nationals.
The Expos had many all-star players through the years. Gary Carter and Andre Dawson were elected to the baseball hall of fame as Montreal Expos. The first major star for the expos was Rusty Staub, who people from Montreal call “Le Grand Orange”.
The Montreal mascot’s name is Youppi! After the Expos left Montreal, Youppi! became the mascot of the Montreal Canadians.
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