MASARYK UNIVERSITY BRNO FACULTY OF EDUCATION Department of English Language and Literature Relations between English Settlers and Indians in 17 th Century New England Diploma Thesis Brno 2010 Supervisor: Written by: Michael George, M.A. Bc. Richard Tetek Declaration Hereby I declare that I worked on this thesis on my own and used only the sources listed in the bibliography. I agree that the thesis be placed in the library of the Faculty of Education of Masaryk University in Brno and made accessible for study purposes. Prohlašuji, že jsem záv ěre čnou diplomovou práci vypracoval samostatn ě, s využitím pouze citovaných literárních pramen ů, dalších informací a zdroj ů v souladu s Disciplinárním řádem pro studenty Pedagogické fakulty Masarykovy univerzity a se zákonem č. 121/2000 Sb., o právu autorském, o právech souvisejících s právem autorským a o zm ěně n ěkterých zákon ů (autorský zákon), ve zn ění pozd ějších p ředpis ů. ………...…………...................... Brno 10 th November 2010 Bc. Richard Tetek 2 Acknowledgement I would like to thank my supervisor Michael George, M.A. for all his kind help, valuable advice and outstanding support. I would also like to thank him for his patience and friendly approach, which contributed to compiling this thesis . 3 Contents Contents ...................................................................................................................4 Introduction .............................................................................................................5 1. Native People of Southern New England ..........................................................7 1.1. Tribes of New England..................................................................................7 1.2. Languages and Population...........................................................................10 1.3. Social Structure, Lifestyle and Culture........................................................12 1.4. First Contacts...............................................................................................18 1.5. European Perceptions of Native Americans................................................22 2. The Pilgrims ......................................................................................................29 2.1. The Saints and Strangers.............................................................................29 2.2. Puritanism................................................................................................... 30 2.3. The Pilgrims and Indians.............................................................................32 3. The Great Migration ………………………………………………………….46 3.1. The Impact of the Great Migration………………………………………..46 3.2. Indians of New England and Christianity………………………………....50 4. The Pequot War ...........................................................................................….55 4.1. The Causes of the War…………………………………………………….55 4.2. The Mystic Massacre……………………………………………………...59 5. King Philip’s War …………………………………………………………….65 5.1. The Situation Prior to the Conflict…………………………………...……65 5.2. The Beginning of the War…………………………………………………70 5.3. The Great Swamp Fight…………………………………………………...72 5.4. Philip’s Death………………….…………………………………………..75 5.5. The Aftermath of the War…………………………………………………79 Conclusion ………………………………………………………………………..82 Works Cited ……………………………………………………………………...84 List of Appendices ……………………………………………………………….90 Appendices ……………………………………………………………………….91 4 Introduction The events that took place in New England during the 17 th century were of vital importance for the history of the United States of America. It was the initial period of the relations between the Native American and Anglo-Saxon civilization and the outcome of the first decades of mutual contacts shaped and altered the course of history for both cultures. The roots of American national identity are often traced back to the times of the early settlers who managed to survive in an unknown environment under hard conditions and founded the first major settlements and towns on the North American soil. The myth surrounding the coming of the Pilgrims still persists in American culture and popular history. It is, apart from other things, reflected in the celebration of the first Thanksgiving when the Wampanoag Indians and English settlers from the Plymouth Plantation gathered to celebrate the first harvest and survival the English newcomers. The image of Indians sitting and feasting at one table with the white colonists might imply that the relations between the two nations were friendly and warm. Indeed, the relatively short period between 1620 when the Plymouth Colony came into existence and the outbreak of the first wars with Native inhabitants is often understood as a period of peace and mutual understanding on the individual and human level. Names like Squanto, Hobbamock or Massasoit would probably sound familiar to most Americans, at least to those who know the basics of American history. Yet, there are other names like Uncas or Philip. These names are usually connected with conflicts and destruction rather than with peace and friendship. It is evident that the relations between the English settlers and Native Americans were far more complex and dynamic than it looks from the appealing simplification of some movies and publications. When the Pilgrims came to the shores of New England, they did not enter an empty virgin land. The area had been a homeland to numerous groups of Native Americans with their own thriving societies and history. For thousands of years, these peoples had managed to maintain their unique culture and lifestyle and to make their living without the advantages of European technology. 5 The arrival of the Europeans meant a drastic change for the Native Americans. Together with diseases which decimated the native population, the English settlers also brought an alien culture and religion and more advanced technology. The worldviews of the English and Native Americans differed significantly and religious bias and mutual misunderstanding made the early contact difficult. The English considered their culture superior and their attitudes were often aggressive and intolerant. The Native Americans, on the other hand, lacked the military strength and unity of the English and were, to some extent, willing to assimilate some features of European culture into their own. The growing number of English settlers, together with their constant hunger for land, inevitably led to conflicts and to the rapid expansion of the English settlements. The way in which the English dealt with the Native peoples of New England in the 17 th century bore all the hallmarks of the future treatment of the Native Americans elsewhere in the United States. Sadly, something which had originally started as an attempt to find freedom and to build a model society for the whole Christian world resulted in the exploitation and conquest of the indigenous inhabitants of North America. The aim of this thesis is not to pass judgment on the actions of either the English settlers or the Native Americans. The issue is far too complex to allow a simple impartial conclusion, even though it is clear that the consequences were devastating for the American Indians. Rather than that, the goal of this paper is to put the events into a broader context and to provide a detailed insight into an interesting period of American history which was crucial for the further development of white-Indian relations. 6 1. Native People of Southern New England 1.1. Tribes of New England The area of what is now called Southern New England and covers current states of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island, had been homeland to various tribes or groups of indigenous people long before the European arrival. The boundaries between the tribes are difficult to define geographically because they often moved due to migration caused by plagues, wars, changes in alliances and other factors. Each tribe usually consisted of many subdivisions with different names but subordinated to the major sachem, who was the principal leader of the whole group (Vaughan, New England Frontier 51). Because of the large number of principalities living in the region, only the most significant tribes or the tribes that played an important role in relations with English settlers will be mentioned. There are more possible spelling variations for some tribal names. The area of present-day Massachusetts was inhibited by the tribe of the same name. The Massachusetts were badly hit by the plague epidemic between 1616 and 1619 which was brought to the region probably by French traders, as well as devastated by wars with the Abenakis (known also as Tarrentine), a warlike tribe of hunters living in the north (Salisbury102-103). Once a powerful tribe, the Massachusetts were almost wiped out at the time of English colonization. From 3,000 warriors in 1614, as reported by John Smith, their numbers dropped to around 500 people in 1631 (Massachusett Indian Tribe History). Thomas Morton, a controversial Englishman who lived close to them, later described the impact of the epidemic in the area: ...the hand of God fell heavily upon them, with such a mortal stroke that they died on heaps as they lay in their houses; and the living, that were able to shift for themselves, would run away and let them die, and let their carcasses lie above the ground without burial. For in a place where many inhabited, there hath been but one left alive to tell what became of the rest; the living being