King Philip’s War

1. King Philip’s War

2. King Philip’s War In 1620, when the English first settled in New England, relations between the Amerindians and the colonists were friendly. During the days of Massasoit, sachem (chief) of the Wampanoag, the tribe occupied the lands from the eastern side of Narragansett Bay to Cape Cod, including Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Massasoit had cultivated harmonious relations with the colonists, being especially helpful to the Pilgrims in their early travails, but tribal lands diminished sharply as the colonists expanded. In 1662, Metacom, a son of Massasoit and known to the colonists as King Philip, became sachem.

3. King Philip’s War The Wampanoags` dependence upon English manufactured goods led them into ever-increasing land sales, resulting in further resentment and tension. In 1675, three tribal members were tried and executed by the English for the murder of a converted Wampanoag, touching off more than a year of hostilities.

4. King Philip’s War Massasoit, sachem of the Wampanoag tribe, brought food to sustain the newcomers through their first winter and helped them adjust to life in this strange, new world. As more and more colonists flooded into New England, strains in the relationship began to appear. The English were convinced that the various tribes should be under colonial control. Unless the Amerindians were willing to surrender their independence, conflict was inevitable. Finally, in 1675, the battle commenced. Massasoit's son, Metacomet, called Philip by the English, led his tribe into a final struggle.

5. King Philip’s War In 1676, the battle was over. Philip was slain, his body drawn and quartered, and his head paraded in triumph in Plymouth. Philip's son, Massasoit's grandson, was sold into slavery in Bermuda. The generosity of Massasoit in 1620 indirectly resulted in the enslavement of his grandson 56 years later. Site of Metacomet’s death

6. King Philip’s War Beginning in June 1675, the Wampanoag, outfitted with rifles and armor, attacked a series of settlements and took the lives of dozens of colonial men, women and children. English forces retaliated in kind by destroying native villages and slaughtering the inhabitants. Soon other tribes, including the Narragansett, joined the fray and the entire region fell into conflict.

7. King Philip’s War Link to learn more about Mary Rowlandson and her capture from a historical perspective. http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/mary.html THE OLD TRAIL TO KING PHILIP'S FORT AT SQUAKEAG