Massacre at Mystic – May 26, 1637
The pleasant town of Mystic, Connecticut, has a well of darkness in its past. It was here, in 1637, that one of the ugliest massacres of
Indians by European settlers took place. The Pequot tribe, whose territory lay east of the Fresh River, were makers of sewan, or
wampum, which tribes farther north and west valued highly. Recognizing this, the Dutch worked out an arrangement with the Pequots
in which they would trade European goods for wampum, and then trade wampum with other Indians, particularly the Mohawks, for
furs. This continued for several years, until the English arrived and decided they wanted a piece of the action. As tensions increased, a
series of murders ensued: Indians killing Indians, Dutch killing Indians, and Indians killing Englishmen. The horrific climax came on
May 26, 1637, when a contingent of Englishmen under Captain John Mason attacked the Pequot village, burning it to the ground, and
killing as many as 700 Indians.
Cause
The Puritan settlers grew in numbers up to 20,000 in
the great migration
Effect
Trade Develops between Pequots and settlers
English did not see Indians as having religion
The English saw the Indian men very lazy
Europeans bring a host of diseases the kills 75% 90% of the Indian population and wiping out entire
villages
English feel that the new world is a place they do
not want to share
Increase conflict develops
English move into the Connecticut Valley
Attack on Pequots was predetermined and well
calculated
Possibilities of trust and cooperation virtually
disappears
Native people saw something that was beyond their
comprehension
Make sure Pequots would not be a threat to the
English again
Many Pequots are sold to other English colonies
such as Bermuda or the Caribbean Islands
Banned the Pequot language and sold surviving
Pequots into slavery
Narragansett Indians are massacred or sold into
slavery
Robin Cassacinamon becomes friends with John
Winthrop Jr.
 A few weeks after the battle, the English sought to hunt
down all surviving Pequots
 Both side live in relative peace
 Each side (Indians/English) viewed the land very
differently
 English believe the land belongs to England and the
King
 Hundreds and hundreds of people lay dead as a result of
the attack
 Indian men were out hunting for food most of the time
and when they were at home they rested
 Inter-tribal conflicts among the Indians
 John Winthrop Sr. sets up 3000 acres for a “reservation”
in Connecticut for the Pequots
 King Phillips War
 More area for settlement is needed
 Nearby Pequot tribe members come tot the fort to see
what had happened
 Pequots can never pose a threat to the English again
 Puritan authorities wanted to make an example of the
Pequots through this attack
 Puritans settled in the empty villages and saw it as a sign
from God
 The English found the Indians very shocking
 Treaty of Hartford