Thomas Tibbles
Encyclopedia
Thomas Henry Tibbles was a journalist
and author from Omaha, Nebraska
who became an activist for Native American
rights in the United States
during the late nineteenth century.
" slavery-related border conflict on the side of the abolitionists; there, he served under James H. Lane and John Brown
. Taken prisoner by pro-slavery forces, he was sentenced to be hanged but escaped. After the end of the Kansas hostilities, he spent some time with the Omaha, even accompanying them in a conflict with the Sioux
. He was later active, among other things, as a Methodist preacher in the frontier territory before turning to journalism.
As assistant editor of the Omaha Daily Herald, he was instrumental in bringing the case of Standing Bear
and the Ponca
Indian people before the United States District Court
at Fort Omaha
in 1879. This case was famous for its ruling that "an Indian is a person," with all the rights of full citizens. He was later married to Susette ("Bright Eyes") LaFlesche
, a member of the Omaha
tribe who had served as Standing Bear's interpreter at the trial. Tibbles was a witness to the aftermath of the massacre of Native Americans at Wounded Knee
in 1891, and reported this tragedy to the world. From 1893-1895, he worked as a newspaper correspondent in Washington D.C. On returning to Nebraska
, Tibbles became editor-in-chief of The Independent, a weekly Populist Party
newspaper. He was the Populist Party
nominee for Vice President of the United States
in 1904.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and author from Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
who became an activist for Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
rights in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
during the late nineteenth century.
Life
Born in Ohio, he moved to Illinois with his parents. At 16 years of age, he traveled to Kansas and participated in the "Bleeding KansasBleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas or the Border War, was a series of violent events, involving anti-slavery Free-Staters and pro-slavery "Border Ruffian" elements, that took place in the Kansas Territory and the western frontier towns of the U.S. state of Missouri roughly between 1854 and 1858...
" slavery-related border conflict on the side of the abolitionists; there, he served under James H. Lane and John Brown
John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
. Taken prisoner by pro-slavery forces, he was sentenced to be hanged but escaped. After the end of the Kansas hostilities, he spent some time with the Omaha, even accompanying them in a conflict with the Sioux
Sioux
The Sioux are Native American and First Nations people in North America. The term can refer to any ethnic group within the Great Sioux Nation or any of the nation's many language dialects...
. He was later active, among other things, as a Methodist preacher in the frontier territory before turning to journalism.
As assistant editor of the Omaha Daily Herald, he was instrumental in bringing the case of Standing Bear
Standing Bear
Standing Bear was a Ponca Native American chief who successfully argued in U.S...
and the Ponca
Ponca
The Ponca are a Native American people of the Dhegihan branch of the Siouan-language group. There are two federally recognized Ponca tribes: the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma...
Indian people before the United States District Court
United States district court
The United States district courts are the general trial courts of the United States federal court system. Both civil and criminal cases are filed in the district court, which is a court of law, equity, and admiralty. There is a United States bankruptcy court associated with each United States...
at Fort Omaha
Fort Omaha
Fort Omaha, originally known as Sherman Barracks and then Omaha Barracks, is an Indian War-era United States Army supply installation. Located at 5730 North 30th Street, with the entrance at North 30th and Fort Streets in modern-day North Omaha, Nebraska, the facility is primarily occupied by ...
in 1879. This case was famous for its ruling that "an Indian is a person," with all the rights of full citizens. He was later married to Susette ("Bright Eyes") LaFlesche
Susette LaFlesche Tibbles
Susette LaFlesche Tibbles, also called Insta Theamba , was a well-known Native American writer, lecturer, interpreter and artist of the Omaha tribe in Nebraska. Susette LaFlesche was a progressive who was a spokesperson for Native American rights. She was of Ponca, Iowa, French and Anglo-American...
, a member of the Omaha
Omaha (tribe)
The Omaha are a federally recognized Native American nation which lives on the Omaha Reservation in northeastern Nebraska and western Iowa, United States...
tribe who had served as Standing Bear's interpreter at the trial. Tibbles was a witness to the aftermath of the massacre of Native Americans at Wounded Knee
Wounded Knee Massacre
The Wounded Knee Massacre happened on December 29, 1890, near Wounded Knee Creek on the Lakota Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, USA. On the day before, a detachment of the U.S. 7th Cavalry Regiment commanded by Major Samuel M...
in 1891, and reported this tragedy to the world. From 1893-1895, he worked as a newspaper correspondent in Washington D.C. On returning to Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
, Tibbles became editor-in-chief of The Independent, a weekly Populist Party
Populist Party (United States)
The People's Party, also known as the "Populists", was a short-lived political party in the United States established in 1891. It was most important in 1892-96, then rapidly faded away...
newspaper. He was the Populist Party
Populist Party (United States)
The People's Party, also known as the "Populists", was a short-lived political party in the United States established in 1891. It was most important in 1892-96, then rapidly faded away...
nominee for Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
in 1904.
Works
- Buckskin and blanket days : memoirs of a friend of the Indians (Tibbles' autobiography written in 1905, published in 1957)