Massacre at Mystic ~_~

1. How would you describe relationships between the Puritan settlers and the Pequot
before the Pequot War? Why do you think these relationships changed so quickly? 

There was a little tension between each other because they were a little scared of these people that they have never seen before. But there was relative peace between them due to trade system.

2. Before the arrival of the British, what was the status of the Pequot in the
Connecticut River Valley? How would you describe their relationships with other
Native American tribes?
They had rivalries with the Narragansett and the Mohican who later joined the colonists in burning down their village.

3. Why did the Puritans travel to the New World? What were their intentions upon
arrival?

They wanted to come and purify the church, and spread the religion in uncharted territories.

4. Compare and contrast Puritan and Pequot ideas about the following: land and
property, division of labor and gender, and warfare? Give examples to back up
your discussion.
Pequot people had women do work and were treated as equals. Puritans felt this demeaning and thought the Pequot women were babying their men who were actually out in the fields hunting for food. The land was there for the natives to live in and wasn't a possession for any man, but the Puritans felt that they could own the land. They also figured that the land occupied by the natives was fair game since they believed that no one can truly own an area without manipulating the land to grow crops or build housing on.

5. In this program, one commentator suggests that the Dutch colonists favored trade,
while the British prioritized land. How did the difference in focus shape their
interactions with Native Americans, and their goals in the New World?
The Dutch were viewed better by the natives since they had cooperation with each other that was excellent. They gave them the goods they needed and got the same in return.

6. Why were British settlers unhappy with the way Pequot organized their economy
and relationship to the land? Do you think there was any validity to their concerns?
Who do you think, if anyone, ultimately had the right to decide who should
control the land?
Because they figured that no one could really own the land until they cultivated it and readied it for a harvest season. If they didn't build anything or use it to feed themselves/others it was fair game. So the British people felt they could swoop in and take it for themselves and claim it by establishing farms. They also felt that women shouldn't be equal and doing the work that men should be doing. The men were also viewed as spoiled because they looked like they were being 'babied' even though they were out in the fields hunting and gathering and coming home in the late hours. The natives should have a say in who deserved control over the land, however, the native people felt that no one could control or own the land. Since the natives had led their lives in that continent for a considerably long time, they should have higher priority over the new British colonists.   

7. Why do you think the Narragansett and Mohegan tribes fought with the Puritans
against the Pequot? Were you surprised by their actions? Discuss. 

Because they were long time rivals. This isn't surprising because if you asked the Joker to team up with you and your army to take out Batman and Robin, it's highly unlikely that he'd say no.

8. One commentator, Tall Oak, ponders how the early colonies would have been
different if the Puritans had come in peace. How would you answer this question?
Do you think a different outcome in relations between the Pequot and the Puritans
was possible?

They wouldn't have been so hungry for land and control. They could have spared the Natives and made companions which would have given them a boost in supplies and necessities. A different outcome was very possible if the colonists just focused on building a strong settlement in the

9. How did the Pequot manage to resurrect their community hundreds of years after
the massacre? How do you think it would feel to go from devastation to prosperity?
There were a very small number of ancestors that made it out of the burnt village. They had been given a piece of land by the government several years after the massacre and many people banded together to make it a prosperous group. It grew and grew and grew and started to resurrect what was thought to be a long lost culture. Pretty soon, the tribe started to become wealthy and build casinos! 

10. Describe the details of the 1638 Treaty of Hartford, which ended the war. Why
was the treaty considered to be cultural genocide for the Pequot? 

It stated that all the men who fought against the English in the war who didn't already die, were to be sold into slavery around other colonies or in the Caribbean. Women and Children who survived were to be given as servants to the Mohican and Narragansett tribes.

11. What sources do you think historians used in order to recount the story of the
massacre at Mystic? What sources might you use if you were trying to create a
documentary about the early colonies? Do you think this documentary offers a
balanced and informed view of the massacre? Discuss.
Tales/stories/lore/journals of the surviving tribes such as the Narragansett of the Mohicans. Perhaps they had records or personal booklets of those Puritans who burned the Pequot village. This Tall Oak fellow might have a few stories that have been passed down through many generations from his elders that managed to escape the horrible event.

12. How did the massacre at Mystic change the United States?

[It gave us casinos!] It provided the colonists with a solution to the natives taking up space in the new world. They could easily commit genocide, freeing up the land that had been occupied by the Pequot people, allowing the settlements to grow/prosper. 

Happened in 1637

May 26, 1637

Turning Point: John Oldum being murdered and it being blamed on the Pequot.