1 00:00:00,040 --> 00:00:02,639 Speaker 1: Hey y'all. We're we running two episodes today, which means 2 00:00:02,640 --> 00:00:05,600 Speaker 1: that you'll hear two hosts, me and Tracy V. Wilson. 3 00:00:06,080 --> 00:00:09,959 Speaker 1: Enjoy the show. Welcome to this Day in History Class 4 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:12,840 Speaker 1: from HowStuffWorks dot com and from the desk of Stuff 5 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:14,960 Speaker 1: you Missed in History Class. It's the show where we 6 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:17,279 Speaker 1: explore the past, one day at a time with a 7 00:00:17,320 --> 00:00:24,319 Speaker 1: quick look at what happened today in history. Hello, and 8 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:27,400 Speaker 1: welcome to the podcast. I'm Tracy V. Wilson, and it's 9 00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:32,400 Speaker 1: November fourth. A confederation of Native American tribes massively defeated 10 00:00:32,400 --> 00:00:35,480 Speaker 1: the United States Army on this day in seventeen ninety one. 11 00:00:36,040 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 1: That happened in a battle known as Saint Clair's Defeat, 12 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:41,680 Speaker 1: which is also called the Battle of the Thousand Slain. 13 00:00:42,360 --> 00:00:45,120 Speaker 1: So this followed the end of the Revolutionary War and 14 00:00:45,200 --> 00:00:48,600 Speaker 1: the passage of the Northwest Ordinance. That passage happened on 15 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:52,239 Speaker 1: July thirteenth of seventeen eighty seven. So at this point, 16 00:00:52,280 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 1: a lot of Americans are moving west into this newly 17 00:00:55,680 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: designated Northwest Territory. And even though the Northwest Ordnance had 18 00:01:00,240 --> 00:01:03,080 Speaker 1: been really clear in calling for how it dealt with 19 00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:06,679 Speaker 1: indigenous peoples, that was supposed to happen quote with the 20 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:11,600 Speaker 1: utmost good faith, that wasn't what was happening at all. Instead, 21 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:16,119 Speaker 1: a series of unfair treaties really favored United States interests 22 00:01:16,240 --> 00:01:20,959 Speaker 1: over Native interests. It also became really clear among the 23 00:01:21,040 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: Native peoples who were living in what was now the 24 00:01:23,240 --> 00:01:26,839 Speaker 1: Northwest Territory that they would never be able to preserve 25 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:30,119 Speaker 1: their own rights by dealing with the United States government 26 00:01:30,160 --> 00:01:33,560 Speaker 1: on a one on one basis, with every tribe and 27 00:01:33,680 --> 00:01:37,640 Speaker 1: every nation dealing with the United States individually, So they 28 00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:42,559 Speaker 1: started forming a confederacy. It wasn't new at all for 29 00:01:42,760 --> 00:01:45,880 Speaker 1: indigenous tribes and peoples to form a confederacy like this. 30 00:01:45,880 --> 00:01:48,600 Speaker 1: This was something that happened a lot of times in history. 31 00:01:49,080 --> 00:01:53,240 Speaker 1: This particular confederacy was known as the Northwest Confederacy, or 32 00:01:53,280 --> 00:01:57,880 Speaker 1: the Wabash Confederacy, or the Miami Confederacy. In seventeen eighty eight, 33 00:01:58,240 --> 00:02:01,800 Speaker 1: Arthur Saint Clair was appointed the goat of the Northwest Territory, 34 00:02:02,520 --> 00:02:05,640 Speaker 1: and one of his tasks was drafting a new treaty 35 00:02:05,720 --> 00:02:08,720 Speaker 1: that would encompass all of the Native peoples in the area. 36 00:02:09,080 --> 00:02:13,119 Speaker 1: But unbeknownst to these same peoples, he had also been 37 00:02:13,160 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 1: tasked with petting them against one another to try to 38 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:19,560 Speaker 1: break up their bargaining power. After a series of negotiations, 39 00:02:19,639 --> 00:02:23,960 Speaker 1: Saint Clair and Native representatives signed two different treaties. They 40 00:02:23,960 --> 00:02:26,560 Speaker 1: were both signed in January of seventeen eighty nine, and 41 00:02:26,600 --> 00:02:29,959 Speaker 1: these two treaties were meant to drive a wedge between 42 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:33,360 Speaker 1: the peoples who signed each of them. And then on 43 00:02:33,400 --> 00:02:35,160 Speaker 1: top of that, on top of the fact that these 44 00:02:35,200 --> 00:02:39,160 Speaker 1: treaties had been created to work them against each other, 45 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:42,880 Speaker 1: the peoples who lived farther to the west in the territory, 46 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:45,920 Speaker 1: most of them refused to acknowledge the treaty or to 47 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,800 Speaker 1: sign it. They said that it had been negotiated without 48 00:02:48,840 --> 00:02:50,639 Speaker 1: their consent and they were having no part of it. 49 00:02:51,680 --> 00:02:54,160 Speaker 1: One of the nations that refused to sign this treaty 50 00:02:54,240 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: was the Miami and they had a lot of influence 51 00:02:57,360 --> 00:03:00,040 Speaker 1: in that part of the continent because a lot a 52 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:04,239 Speaker 1: lot of refugees from other indigenous nations had settled near 53 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:09,240 Speaker 1: the Miami capital of Pekianga. That in seventeen ninety a 54 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:12,560 Speaker 1: United States Army patrol found a body that had been 55 00:03:12,600 --> 00:03:16,040 Speaker 1: shot with both bullets and arrows, and settlers in the 56 00:03:16,080 --> 00:03:19,000 Speaker 1: area started calling for some kind of solution to what 57 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:23,240 Speaker 1: they called the Indian problem. So General Josiah Harmer started 58 00:03:23,280 --> 00:03:27,320 Speaker 1: a mission to destroy Miami villages in response to this incident. 59 00:03:27,760 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: They burned down several villages that were actually mostly abandoned, 60 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:34,679 Speaker 1: but they also contained a lot of stored food. They 61 00:03:34,720 --> 00:03:37,400 Speaker 1: at the same time, though, were goaded into chasing a 62 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:42,680 Speaker 1: native force into an ambush, and the generals foresaw heavy casualties. 63 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:47,200 Speaker 1: A series of military engagements followed this, with the United 64 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 1: States increasing the size of the army to try to 65 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:53,800 Speaker 1: fight the native peoples in the Northwest Territory. Saint Clair 66 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:56,280 Speaker 1: was finally put into command of a force of about 67 00:03:56,280 --> 00:03:59,440 Speaker 1: two thousand men, and they started making their way toward 68 00:03:59,560 --> 00:04:04,040 Speaker 1: Kekiongg in September of seventeen ninety one. They had some 69 00:04:04,240 --> 00:04:07,640 Speaker 1: Native scouts with them, but these scouts weren't actually local 70 00:04:07,640 --> 00:04:10,200 Speaker 1: to the area. They didn't really know its terrain or 71 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 1: its peoples, so their ability to help the army was 72 00:04:13,360 --> 00:04:16,599 Speaker 1: actually kind of limited. And this whole time, Saint Clair 73 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:19,960 Speaker 1: was being observed and monitored by the people who actually 74 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,600 Speaker 1: did live there, while having no effective reconnaissance of his own. Then, 75 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:28,360 Speaker 1: on November fourth, a Native force attacked Saint Clair's while 76 00:04:28,400 --> 00:04:33,080 Speaker 1: it was encamped along the Wabash River. The Western Confederacy's force, 77 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:35,240 Speaker 1: which was led by a Little Turtle of the Miami 78 00:04:35,320 --> 00:04:38,440 Speaker 1: and Blue Jacket of the Shawnee, surrounded the United States 79 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:41,279 Speaker 1: Army and started fighting them, mostly from the cover of trees. 80 00:04:42,240 --> 00:04:44,919 Speaker 1: The United States force was defeated in a battle that 81 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:48,280 Speaker 1: lasted about four hours, and then in their retreat, the 82 00:04:48,400 --> 00:04:51,520 Speaker 1: US Army had to abandon an enormous amount of gear, 83 00:04:51,640 --> 00:04:56,120 Speaker 1: including two forges, multiple teams of oxen, fully loaded pack 84 00:04:56,200 --> 00:05:00,599 Speaker 1: animals hence twelve hundred muskets and baynets, and all the 85 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 1: tools that they had been using to clear the trail 86 00:05:03,320 --> 00:05:07,919 Speaker 1: and build bridges as they've been on this mission. Among 87 00:05:07,960 --> 00:05:10,800 Speaker 1: the army force, there were nine hundred and eighteen killed 88 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:14,839 Speaker 1: and two hundred and seventy six wounded, and this force 89 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,840 Speaker 1: represented so much of the United States Armies total that 90 00:05:18,839 --> 00:05:21,919 Speaker 1: that was nearly half of the country's fighting force killed 91 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:25,880 Speaker 1: or injured in this one battle. You can learn more 92 00:05:25,880 --> 00:05:28,440 Speaker 1: about this battle and its aftermath in the November eighteenth, 93 00:05:28,520 --> 00:05:31,640 Speaker 1: twenty fifteen episode of Stuffy Miss in History Class. Thanks 94 00:05:31,640 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: to Casey Pegram and at Chandler Mays for their audio 95 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:35,560 Speaker 1: work on the show, and you can subscribe to This 96 00:05:35,640 --> 00:05:38,600 Speaker 1: Day in History Class on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and 97 00:05:38,640 --> 00:05:41,360 Speaker 1: wherever else you can get your podcasts. You can tune 98 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:54,080 Speaker 1: in tomorrow for another of this month's congressional firsts. Welcome back, everyone, 99 00:05:54,560 --> 00:05:57,799 Speaker 1: I'm Eves and you're listening to This Day in History Class, 100 00:05:58,200 --> 00:06:00,279 Speaker 1: a show where we peel back a new layer of 101 00:06:00,360 --> 00:06:11,320 Speaker 1: history every day. The day was November fourth, nineteen fifty six. 102 00:06:12,400 --> 00:06:15,760 Speaker 1: The first nationally televised presidential debate in the US aired, 103 00:06:15,839 --> 00:06:19,960 Speaker 1: when former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Senator Margaret Chase 104 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:23,920 Speaker 1: Smith debated each other, acting as surrogates for a Democratic 105 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:27,719 Speaker 1: candidate at Ly Stephenson and Republican President Dwight D. Eisenhower. 106 00:06:29,000 --> 00:06:32,600 Speaker 1: Former Illinois Governor at Ly Stephenson challenged Eisenhower, who was 107 00:06:32,680 --> 00:06:36,479 Speaker 1: running for a second term, to a televised debate, but 108 00:06:36,600 --> 00:06:40,719 Speaker 1: Eisenhower refused. His administration decided that it would be better 109 00:06:40,760 --> 00:06:44,360 Speaker 1: for surrogates to debate each other on policy, so at 110 00:06:44,360 --> 00:06:48,760 Speaker 1: Eisenhower's suggestion, the Women's division of the Republican National Committee 111 00:06:48,880 --> 00:06:53,280 Speaker 1: chose Margaret Chase Smith, the senior senator from Maine in 112 00:06:53,400 --> 00:06:57,160 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty Smith gave a notable speech that criticized maccarthyism 113 00:06:57,640 --> 00:07:01,520 Speaker 1: and the actions of the House un American Activity's Committee. 114 00:07:01,600 --> 00:07:04,640 Speaker 1: The Democrats chose former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt to go 115 00:07:04,760 --> 00:07:09,360 Speaker 1: up against Smith. At first, Smith refused, she thought that 116 00:07:09,400 --> 00:07:12,520 Speaker 1: her public speaking abilities were no match for Roosevelt's skill 117 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:16,120 Speaker 1: and knowledge, but Eisenhower convinced her to accept the debate, 118 00:07:16,440 --> 00:07:20,760 Speaker 1: and she began preparing meticulously for the event. Her appearance 119 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:24,120 Speaker 1: also figured into her preparation for the debate, which she 120 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:26,920 Speaker 1: figured would be important since they would be on TV. 121 00:07:27,880 --> 00:07:31,240 Speaker 1: She decided to be in contrast with Roosevelt's quote partisan 122 00:07:31,320 --> 00:07:35,000 Speaker 1: manner and quote top heavy appearance, so part of her 123 00:07:35,040 --> 00:07:38,040 Speaker 1: strategy was to wear a simple dark dress and answer 124 00:07:38,160 --> 00:07:41,840 Speaker 1: questions briefly and slowly in an even tone. When the 125 00:07:41,880 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 1: debate aired on CBS's Faced the Nation two days before 126 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:47,600 Speaker 1: the election, it was the first time women were ever 127 00:07:47,680 --> 00:07:51,320 Speaker 1: guests on the show. For thirty minutes, Roosevelt and Smith 128 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:55,400 Speaker 1: answered questions posed by a panel of reporters. Much of 129 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:59,000 Speaker 1: the debate was geared toward foreign policy, which Roosevelt had 130 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:02,120 Speaker 1: an advantage in as former First Lady and Ambassador to 131 00:08:02,160 --> 00:08:05,600 Speaker 1: the United Nations, but Smith had also served on the 132 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: House Armed Services Committee. Smith later wrote, Missus Roosevelt was 133 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:12,960 Speaker 1: caught by surprise as I refrained from tangling with her. 134 00:08:13,320 --> 00:08:15,920 Speaker 1: The more that I spoke softly and smiled faintly, and 135 00:08:15,960 --> 00:08:18,960 Speaker 1: the less I said in reply, the more Missus Roosevelt 136 00:08:18,960 --> 00:08:21,680 Speaker 1: seemed to be put off balance, and this made her 137 00:08:21,720 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 1: talk more. Either way, Roosevelt dominated the debate with her 138 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:29,640 Speaker 1: long explanations, while Smith kept her answers brief as planned. 139 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:33,800 Speaker 1: Smith had previously requested to read a two minute closing argument, 140 00:08:34,120 --> 00:08:38,240 Speaker 1: anticipating a strong performance from Roosevelt, and the moderators agreed. 141 00:08:39,320 --> 00:08:41,760 Speaker 1: In her closing statement, Smith was more a motive and 142 00:08:41,920 --> 00:08:44,000 Speaker 1: less restrained that she had been in the rest of 143 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,400 Speaker 1: the debate. Roosevelt didn't care for this shift in demeanor 144 00:08:47,520 --> 00:08:51,520 Speaker 1: and didn't shake hands with Smith after the debate. Public 145 00:08:51,559 --> 00:08:54,360 Speaker 1: reactions to the debate ran the gamut, and it's not 146 00:08:54,520 --> 00:08:58,040 Speaker 1: clear what effect the debate had on voters, but Eisenhower 147 00:08:58,080 --> 00:09:01,679 Speaker 1: won the election by a landslide. At the nineteen sixty 148 00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:04,880 Speaker 1: four Republican Convention, Smith became the first woman to have 149 00:09:04,960 --> 00:09:08,120 Speaker 1: her name entered into nomination at a major parties convention. 150 00:09:09,520 --> 00:09:11,880 Speaker 1: I'm Eve Steffcote and hopefully you know a little more 151 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:15,760 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. Know any fellow 152 00:09:15,880 --> 00:09:18,480 Speaker 1: history buffs who would enjoy the show, you can share 153 00:09:18,480 --> 00:09:21,960 Speaker 1: it with them. We're on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at 154 00:09:22,160 --> 00:09:29,599 Speaker 1: TDIHC podcast. Our email address is this day at iHeartMedia 155 00:09:29,679 --> 00:09:33,280 Speaker 1: dot com. Thanks for listening. We'll see you here again 156 00:09:33,480 --> 00:09:40,160 Speaker 1: tomorrow with another episode. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit 157 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:42,920 Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to 158 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:43,760 Speaker 1: your favorite shows.