I would classify Pontiac’s Rebellion as an Indigenous revolution, but not the Seven Years’ War or The American Revolution. I’m torn on whether or not I would consider the War of 1812 an Indigenous revolution.
I think it’s pretty easy to see why Pontiac’s Rebellion would be considered an Indigenous revolution. As we read about in The Master of Life and Pontiac Calls for War, this was a conflict that attempted to overthrow a social system (and undermine a government) and install a new one in its place (or, if not a new one, one that had lost its original power). This is pretty clearly a revolution, carried out by and for Native Americans. However, the same cannot be said about the Seven Years’ War or the American Revolution, despite the fact that Native Americans participated in both of them. I don’t think that the Seven Years’ War could be considered a revolution, since it was not fought with the intention of installing a new social system or government. The Seven Years’ War was largely about European expansion and protection of territories, but not about changing any actual governing systems.
The American Revolution was obviously a revolution, but I think classifying it as an Indigenous revolution is a mistake, since Indigenous goals were not fought for or considered. This is clear from the Oneida Declaration of Neutrality and The Disturbances in America Give Great Trouble to All Our Nations. From these documents, it was obvious that Indigenous nations participated in the war, but that it was not an Indigenous movement or revolution.
The reason the War of 1812 is hard to classify for me is because it, like the Seven Years’ War, seemed to be largely based on the territorial interests of colonizing powers, but Indigenous forces participating did seem to have an overall goal of overthrowing the American government that was claiming their land.
For all of these wars, concern over American and European forces taking Indigenous land was a large motivator for Native American communities to get involved. Neolin’s call to return to traditional ways and push the settlers out of their land was also a factor, even after Pontiac’s Rebellion, which was the most immediate response to Neolin’s call.
There is a difference between modernizing and assimilation. I feel like most Natives during this time thought they were adapting to the standards of white people, when they were damaging their own communities and steered away from traditions.