Mar 15, 2023

King Philip’s War (W9:D3)

When Massasoit - the Wampanoag chief - died, his son, Metacom - who went by the English name Philip - replaced his father. Massasoit held a long alliance with the pilgrims, but when Philip took over, he broke this alliance, after many disputes with the colonists, including threatening to take away the tribe’s guns after they were used to attack colonists and their native allies. Then, in 1675, three Wampanoags were tried and hung for the murder of a “praying Indian,” or native who converted to Christianity. Philip attended the trial and made this his turning point. He sent warriors to attack homesteads throughout Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Maine. Their tactic was to attack randomly, in different locations, over a six-month span, to keep from being caught. The Colonial Militia was assembled to fight off these attacks, but they were sporadic. Tribes, such as the Narragansetts, tried to stay neutral, but individuals from their tribes would participate, so the colonists couldn’t tell who were really on their side. When they caught warriors of these neutral tribes, they would deem those tribes to have broken their treaties. The militia was made of over 1,000 soldiers and 150 Native allies - the strongest army in the colonies so far. In November 1675, they attacked the Narragansetts, burning their village, and killing around 600. Their leader, Canonchet, retaliated, joining the native coalition. In the end, the colonist militia won, but not without destroying many towns and native villages. Hundreds died on both sides, economies halted, and relations between colonists and indigenous peoples dissolved. It can be said, the only good that came from the war was that it was fought without any support from any European government, which began to strengthen the resolve of colonists to separate from outside control.

Activity: Dispute Resolution: Tell of one time when you had to clear up a misunderstanding or a fight with a family member or friend. What happened, that it was needed? Who made you clear it up? _______________________________________________________________________________________

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Was it something you wanted to do, or something you were made to do? _______________________________________________________________________________________

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How was it resolved? _______________________________________________________________________________________

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Did you feel better afterwards? _______________________________________________________________________________________

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