Pontiac, His War Against the British, and the Impact it Had on the American Revolution

David H. Allen

PATH American History

October 28, 2018

Pontiac, His War Against the British, and the Impact it Had on the American Revolution

Introduction

Pontiac was a well-respected, powerful leader of the Indians in the period after the French and

Indian War ended. He led Pontiac's Rebellion (also called Pontiac's War, Pontiac's Rebellion, or

Pontiac's Revolt) against British soldiers and settlers in an effort to rid the Native Americans'

lands of the encroaching Europeans. This paper will address the important events of his life and

explain why he was an important figure in the history of the United States.

Pontiac and His War

Rise of a Leader

Little is known of the early life of Pontiac, other than he was born around 1720 into a

family of tribal chieftans and he was of mixed tribal heritage. He was probably at the Battle on

the Monogahela when the British General Braddock's command was defeated. He became an

influential speaker, and made contact with many diverse Indian tribes (Middleton, 2007).

Pontiac's War

Pontiac believed that the Native American had to have a strong military capability in

order to force the British out of the Ohio River Valley. He knew that the French, who had just

lost the French and Indian War to the British, were not likely to help the British put down a

revolt by the Native Americans.

In 1763, Pontiac held a conference with tribal leaders and urged them to go to war against

the British soldiers and white settlers. They did, and as a result hundreds of settlers and British

soldiers died. At one point during the war, the British used biological warfare against the Indians
by gifting them blankets infected with smallpox. This was unprecendented in the history of

Europeans in North America (Wilde, 2017)

The Failure of the Revolt

Eventually the violence subsided, and the British authorized local authorities to make

treaties with the individual Indian tribes. This included making concesssions such as allowing

them access to firearms and alcohol (Wilde, 2017).

The Death of Pontiac

Pontiac's reputation with the Native Americans was greatly diminshed because of his

failure to win a military victory against the British. He was eventually murdered for reasons

unrelated to the rebellion, and no one sought revenge on his killer (Wilde, 2017)

Conclusion

The Native Americans never had a chance against the military might of the British

Empire. However, as a result of Pontiac's War, King George III issued the Royal Proclamation of

1763, which forbade Colonists from crossing the Allegheny Mountains and settling in Indian

lands. This created tensions between Colonists and the King and contributed to the desire on the

part of the Colonists to break away from British rule.

In addition, British concessions to the Indians as a result of Pontiac's War demonstrated

that the Indians could obtain what they wanted from Europeans through violence, or the threat of

violence (Wilde, 2017). This would contribute to the bad relationships between Americans of

European descent and Native Americas that would last for generations.
 References

Middleton, R. (2007). Pontiac's war: its causes, course, and consequences. Abington, OX:
Routledge.
Wilde, R. (2017). Pontiac's rebellion and smallpox as a weapon. ThoughtCo. Retrieved from
https://www.thoughtco.com/pontiacs-rebellion-smallpox-as-a-weapon-1222027