Comprehension Questions:
3. The Puritans traveled to the New World because they wanted freedom of religion. They also wanted the ability to self govern. Their intentions upon arrival were to set up a royal colony where they could worship God the way they thought was correct. They wanted to establish trade, economy, and all other things that are important to a successful settlement.
4.
* Land and Property: The Pequots believed that you could never truly own land, you were only using it for the time being. They were nomadic and always tried to replenish what they took. They had a deep spiritual connection to the land and saw it as a gift. The English believed that land was something to be conquered and owned. The only way you could truly own land was to build permanent settlements and tame nature. They didn't think the Pequots owned the land because they didn't build anything there.
* Division of Labor and Gender: The English men worked the fields, built the houses, farmed and hunted, and generally did all manual labor. The women were primarily supposed to take care of the home and children. The Pequot men were often not home, hunting and battling. The women did all the labor such as farming and taking care of the fort, as well as cooking, cleaning, and watching children. The Pequot men thought the English babied their wives, and the English men viewed the Pequots as lazy men who made their wives do all the work.
* Warfare: The English were well versed in total war. They believed that you should wipe out everyone: men, women, and children. In their eyes, this was the only way to get rid of your enemy entirely. The Pequots spared women and children, thinking it too cruel to commit complete genocide. They either adopted women and children as servants or wives, or they left them to fend for themselves.
5. The Dutch did not have a desire to conquer the Native peoples. They needed the Natives for trade and thus to accomplish their goals. They didn't build permanent settlements or attempt to take away Pequot land, because that would disturb relations. They had no interest in taming the New World, they just wanted to get whatever trade they could and move on. The English, on the other hand, established permanent settlements and, after a while, didn't care about relations with the Natives. They saw them as a threat and wanted them out of the way so they could continue westward expansion.
12. It made it acceptable for other European groups to massacre Natives as a means to get more land or anything else they wanted. It also introduced the Natives to the idea of total war. It also disrupted the balance of power, as it wiped out most of the Pequots and made way for theEnglish to take over.
Primary Source Explanation:
1. Winthrop envisioned a sort of Utopia. He knew, of course, that everything wasn't going to be perfect from the beginning, but he hoped to reach perfection quickly. It was to be a colony where everybody worked together, lent helping hands to one another, and there were no disputes. I believe that a model society such as this is not as within reach as Winthrop expected it to be. It could be achieved eventually though, which is why the Natives had such a good society.
2. He means that their city will be raised above all others. He's saying it will be better than other society's before because it will be built on Christian values, and God will be watching over them.
3. Winthrop was most certainly not thinking about the Natives when he was delivering this sermon. The Puritans never treated the Native people they dealt with as equals. In their eyes, the Pequots were not human beings. They weren't upholding John Winthrop's vision in their dealings with the Natives because they weren't working with them. The Puritans viewed the Natives as less than people, just servants to do their bidding and get them what they need.
Extended Activity:
3. The Narragansetts escaped the epidemics for the most part. Smaller tribes suffered losses and the survivors became a part of the Narragansett tribe. The first documented contact with the Narragansetts took place in 1524 when Giovanni de Verrazano came to Rhode Island. The Narragansetts were one of the most powerful tribes in the area and offered protection to other tribes in exchange for goods or services. They had winter homes and summer homes. In the summer they would move inland for hunting, and in the winter they lived near the shore. Their culture was very similar to that of the Pequots, but they didn’t fare so badly in the wars. They tried to ally with the English rather than immediately being against them.
Scientific evidence shows Mohegan presence in Connecticut for over 10,000 years. At the time of European contact they were part of the Pequot tribe, but they soon separated. Mohegan means “wolf clan” in their language. Men were hunters and went to war. Women were farmers and also did most of the childcare and cooking. Both were storytellers and took part in art, medicine and music. Chiefs were men. Children had a lot of chores, and played games and with homemade dolls. The Mohegans favored collaboration with the English and became friends with them, starting an uneasy alliance. True to their word, they helped the English defeat the Pequots. This alliance kept the Mohegan people relatively safe during white vs. native wars.
