Great Indian Chief of the West

Black Hawk's life becomes a way to examine the disputes over land, treaties and government policy that shaped relations between the Sauk and Fox peoples and the United States. Benjamin Drake combines biography with tribal history, giving Keokuk a substantial place alongside Black Hawk. The opening traces the two peoples' connections, movements and shared customs, while the contents range across negotiations, village life and the conflict of 1832.

Drake's preface openly criticizes broken agreements and forced land sales, though its appeal for fairer treatment also carries the paternal assumptions of its period. In the account of the encounter with Major Stillman's troops, different versions of events are placed beside one another, including testimony attributed to Black Hawk and his men. Readers interested in early American history can study how the book connects individual leadership with public policy, and how competing accounts shape the telling of a battle.