King Philip’s War, described as the bloodiest conflict in America’s history. To end the war, the English had to change how they looked at the world they lived in. The military would need to look at how it fought, defended, and interacted with the natives.
In 1643 the English colonies (Massachusetts Bay, New Haven, Plymouth, and Connecticut) established the United Colonies. They created this union in the wake of the Pequot War where each colony would come to the aid of the other during a time of need, native attack, and protection from the Dutch.
Rhode Island? NOT invited to this union because they considered it to be a place of English dissidents, non-conformists and other non-desirables. Providence, Warwick and Newport are three of three of the founding settlement and exist to this day.
Everybody’s Happy!
Nope!
The Union was angry with Massachusetts because in 1654 they, the strongest colony, declined to take part in a joint expedition to New Netherland and attack a settlement called New Amsterdam on the tip of an island called Manhattan. Today the site of this settlement now exists under New York, City.
The colonies for years fought with each other over border disputes. Plymouth and Connecticut were in competition for land in Rhode Island. It frustrated Plymouth when the land that they wanted was being sold to other parties. They forced Native leaders to prove their loyalty by having them sign a new treaty that promises that they would not sell land to anyone but Plymouth.
At the war’s beginning, the colonies argued regarding how the war plan, whether they would use friendly Indians, how towns would conscript troops. Connecticut promoted a plan of reconciliation, while other Union members were more aggressive. Resolutions required six affirmatives to pass, and one representative accused of stalling. When the English suffered defeat after defeat, when entire troops of militias ambushed, killed and mutilated, did the English put their differences aside and rethink their strategy. They needed to work together, the same as their enemy.
But at what cost? I offer this thought: Had the colonies worked together in the beginning the conflict may have ended sooner, losing life would not have been so severe.
Eric J Ostroff 