Settlers and American Indian Conflicts
5th Grade Informational Reading Texts
In the New England area, the Wampanoag were not the only indigenous peoples. The Pequot also lived here. Unrest between the Pequot and the settlers led to the Pequot War in 1637. A Pequot village in Mystic, Connecticut was surrounded in a surprise attack. Settlers set fire to the homes, and as hundreds of men, women, and children fled the fires, they were killed. Those who survived the attack were sold into slavery.
The Pequot had been a very powerful group, but by 1638 they had lost so many people, that they admitted defeat and gave away all rights to their lands in the area. They moved to live with other native people in the region. This left the areas of present day New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine open to the expansion of English settlements.
In 1661, Massasoit died. As the leader of the Wampanoag, he had secured peace with the Pilgrims and other English colonists within the region for 40 years. As more and more settlers arrived in the area, the need for land began to cause conflict. These new colonists seized growing stretches of Wampanoag lands.
Following his death, Massasoit's son Metacomet became the new leader of the Wampanoag. The English colonial governor called him Phillip, and the colonists began to refer to him as King Philip. Metacomet (King Philip) felt that the taking of Wampanoag land needed to be stopped. He sent a message to another native group in the area, the Narragansett. He asked for their assistance, but they refused to help. Other groups though, did join the Wampanoag.
In 1675 King Philip's War began. This was one of the bloodiest conflicts ever fought in North America. In their attacks, Metacomet's warriors attacked 52 towns, destroying crops and killing more than 600 settlers. Settlers began to adopt the native way of fighting and retaliated. By hiding in forests, they launched surprise attacks, and burned native villages.
By August of 1676, scouts helped to trap Metacomet in a swampy area in Rhode Island. He was killed by American Indians who were assisting the English settlers. With Metacomet dead, the war came to an end. Metacomet's wife and son were among many who were sold into slavery; more than 4,000 Native Americans had lost their lives, and their strength in New England never returned.
The Pequot had been a very powerful group, but by 1638 they had lost so many people, that they admitted defeat and gave away all rights to their lands in the area. They moved to live with other native people in the region. This left the areas of present day New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine open to the expansion of English settlements.
In 1661, Massasoit died. As the leader of the Wampanoag, he had secured peace with the Pilgrims and other English colonists within the region for 40 years. As more and more settlers arrived in the area, the need for land began to cause conflict. These new colonists seized growing stretches of Wampanoag lands.
Following his death, Massasoit's son Metacomet became the new leader of the Wampanoag. The English colonial governor called him Phillip, and the colonists began to refer to him as King Philip. Metacomet (King Philip) felt that the taking of Wampanoag land needed to be stopped. He sent a message to another native group in the area, the Narragansett. He asked for their assistance, but they refused to help. Other groups though, did join the Wampanoag.
In 1675 King Philip's War began. This was one of the bloodiest conflicts ever fought in North America. In their attacks, Metacomet's warriors attacked 52 towns, destroying crops and killing more than 600 settlers. Settlers began to adopt the native way of fighting and retaliated. By hiding in forests, they launched surprise attacks, and burned native villages.
By August of 1676, scouts helped to trap Metacomet in a swampy area in Rhode Island. He was killed by American Indians who were assisting the English settlers. With Metacomet dead, the war came to an end. Metacomet's wife and son were among many who were sold into slavery; more than 4,000 Native Americans had lost their lives, and their strength in New England never returned.