The Pequot War

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In 1632, Dutch established land claims and trading posts in the Connecticut region (McBride). “Other than the hardship of the journey and the difficulty of building homes in what the Puritans consider a wilderness, only one major obstacle threatened the security of the expanding settlements: the Pequots” (Gorin). Before the war, the Pequot tribe owned an abundance of land; “approximately 250 square miles in Southern Connecticut” (McBride). Not only does the native tribe own acres of land, but both the Pequots and the Dutch controlled all of the trade in the region, which had an outcome of a short-term stable; it was potentially a volatile situation, as many Native tribes were resentful of their tributary status to the Pequot (McBride). Because of the the impact of colonial settlers on the Pequots, the tension between the English and their need to control, the events that took place throughout the years that the war had occurred, and the the treaty, which ended the war, The Pequot War happened over a course of 7 years.
“The Pequot war was the culmination of numerous conflicts between the colonists and the Indians” (Bitting). There were conflicts over property, livestock damaging Indian crops, hunting, the selling of alcohol to Indians, and dishonest traders (McBride). The Colonists also believed that they had a God given right to settle the New World. “They saw the Indian as savages who needed to be converted to their way of God” (Bitting). Unfortunately, the colonists felt superior to all Indians even those who became Christian (Bitting). Native Americans were constantly suffering at the hands of the colonists, yet at the same time was growing more dependent on the Colonists trade goods (McBride). The natives felt disturbed bec...

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...ent of the colonial settlers (McBride). The English wanted to control and own the land that their God has given to them, but it was already owned by Native Americans. There was a huge amount of fighting between the years 1632 to 1638 relating to the war. Barely any English settlers died, but about 400-700 Pequots died because of the war (Bitter). In conclusion, the war ended in a treaty, which erased the Pequot tribe.

Works Cited

http://pequotwar.org/about/, 2014, Battle Fields of the Pequot War, The Pequot War, The History of the War by Dr. Kevin McBride. May 19, 2014

http://www.connhistory.org/peq_rdgs.htm, 2010, Conneticut History, The Pequot War, An Introduction for the Student by Mark Williams. May 18 2014

http://pequotwar.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Pequot-War-Timeline1.jpg 2014, Battle Fields of the Pequot War, The Pequot War, Timeline. May 19, 2014

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