1675–1676
King Philip’s War and colonial destruction of Native communities
New England; Wampanoag and allied peoples
King Philip’s War devastated Indigenous and English communities in 1675–1676. Colonial troops destroyed Native homes and food stores and sold captives. A participant’s report describes the December 1675 attack on the Narragansett settlement in the Great Swamp, including the burning of houses and stored corn.
Dates preserve the source’s precision. This entry is part of a selected historical record; its qualifications and sources are retained below.
Context / qualification
1675–1676 describes the principal southern New England fighting; war continued farther north into 1678. Indigenous nations and individuals fought on different sides. Colonial reports document destruction and captive sales but do not establish an exact regional death toll.
Sources
- Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States (2014), chapter 4
- Howard Zinn, A People’s History of the United States, chapter 1, pp. 15–16; supplied print pages, edition/year unidentified
- James Oliver to John Cotton Jr., 14 January 1676, including Cotton’s transcription: entries for 17 and 19 December 1675 ↗
- National Park Service, King Philip’s War (1675–1678): Great Swamp and subsequent fighting ↗