King Philip's War: Civil War in New England, 1675-1676

by James D. Drake

Sometimes described as "America's deadliest war," King Philip's War proved a critical turning point in the history of New England, leaving English colonists decisively in command of the region at the expense of native peoples. Although traditionally understood as an inevitable clash of cultures or as a classic example of conflict on the frontier between Indians and whites, in the view of James D. Drake it was neither. Instead, he argues, King Philip's War was a civil war, whose divisions cut across ethnic lines and tore apart a society composed of English colonizers and Native Americans alike. According to Drake, the interdependence that developed between English and Indian in the years leading up to the war helps explain its notorious brutality. Believing they were dealing with an internal rebellion and therefore with an act of treason, the colonists and their native allies often meted out harsh punishments. The end result was nothing less than the decimation of New England's indigenous peoples and the consequent social, political, and cultural reorganization of the region. In short, by waging war among themselves, the English and Indians of New England destroyed the world they had constructed together. In its place a new society emerged, one in which native peoples were marginalized and the culture of the New England Way receded into the past.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Native American, Politics

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Marc A.]

Detailed and excellent history.

[Dickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Facinating history of early colonial era conflict that upended the interdependent life of English colonists and local tribes; and established the pattern of separation, and conquest that characterized the Anglo approach to indigenous people to this date.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the US, we learn very little about the history of the colonies between 1607 and 1776. We learn Columbus "discovered" america, a little about Jamestown, a lot about the Pilgrams, then skip right on to a brief bit on the French Indian War then it's off to the Revolution.
This book not only informed me of an important part of American History I'd never heard of, it also incited my imagination to find out more about the ~300 years between 1492 and 1776.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Also know as the French and Indian War, this conflict between the English and French involved Native Americans and British colonists. Scalping was encouraged by both sides as means of paying a bounty for killing people on the other side. This history looks at the causes of the war and the tactics employed.