The Creeks were themselves divided on the question of accommodation versus resistance: the accommodationists, led by figures like Big Warrior, sought to maintain peace with the United States while navigating the pressures of settlement.

The resistance faction — who would become known as the Red Sticks, after the red-painted clubs they carried — was inspired in part by Tecumseh’s arguments and by the spiritual revitalization movement associated with Tenskwatawa.

When Tecumseh visited the Creek in 1811, during his great southern diplomatic mission, he made a powerful impression.

His oratory moved many Creek leaders.

His argument that the pattern of loss would continue unless it was stopped resonated with those who had already experienced significant pressures on their territory and sovereignty.

The Creek War that broke out in 1813 was a civil war within the Creek confederacy as much as a conflict with the United States, but its anti-American dimension was directly connected to Tecumseh’s influence.