King Philip’s War: 17th-Century Hostility Between The Wampanoag and The Pilgrims
On June 20, 1675, the small border town of Swansea, Massachusetts, was attacked by a band of Pokanoket of the Wampanoag tribe . No casualties resulted from the Pokanoket raid that day, except for some dead cattle and homesteads that were raided and robbed. Four days later, the massacre began. On June 24, the Pokanoket returned, and this time they killed none of the inhabitants but wounded seven. After the Pokanoket raid, the call to arms spread throughout the colonies, and the people responded. This was one of the most devastating conflicts in America, and it all started with the murder of John Sassamon and the trial that led to the execution of three Wampanoag warriors. However, there is a more important question. Was it really the trial and execution of the three warriors that gave rise to the war or was there more to the story?