Pilgrim Myths P2

In 1623, the Pilgrims and Wampanoag entered into their peace treaty, Chief Massasoit informed the Pilgrims of a treacherous assault to be made against them by the Algonquin tribe, which was gathering other chiefs for an unprovoked surprise attack. Facing potential extermination, Miles Standish led a preemptive strike against the Algonquins, thus saving the colonists. But this did not impede the good relations between the Pilgrims and Wampanoag; after all, it was the Wampanoag who had warned them of the eminent Indian attack.

The 1637 Pequot War was the next period of tensions between Pilgrims and other tribes. The Pequot Indians were warlike and aggressive not only against the colonists. Remember that Samoset had warned the Pilgrims of this, but the Algonquins also fought their own Indian neighbors on every side, including the Wanpanoag as well as the Naraganset, Algonquin, and Mohegan tribes.

Content sourced from The American Story, The Beginnings. By: David Barton and Tim Barton