King Philip’s War is an event that appears over and over again in books about colonial America.
So when you have an event that has been as studied as King Philip’s War has been, is there anything new that we can learn about it by re-examining it in our own time?
Lisa Brooks, an Associate Professor of English and American Studies at Amherst College believes the answer to this question is “yes.” And today, she’s going to help us re-examine and re-think what we know about King Philip’s War by introducing us to new people, new ways we can look at known historical sources, and to different ways we can think about what we know about this event with details from her book Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War.
About the Show
Ben Franklin’s World is a podcast about early American history.
It is a show for people who love history and for those who want to know more about the historical people and events that have impacted and shaped our present-day world.
Each episode features a conversation with a historian who helps us shed light on important people and events in early American history.
Ben Franklin’s World is a production of the Omohundro Institute.
Episode Summary
Lisa Brooks, an Associate Professor of English and American Studies at Amherst College and the author of Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War, helps us re-think what we know about King Philip’s War by introducing us to new people, new ways we can look at known historical sources, and to different ways we can think about what we know about this event.
During our re-investigation of King Philip’s War, Lisa reveals details about King Philip’s War and when it took place; What caused the war and who the war was really between; And, how King Philip’s War and the stories of its lesser-known participants can help us better understand early American history.
What You’ll Discover
- King Philip’s War
- What King Philip’s War can still teach us
- Land as a cause of King Philip’s War
- Plymouth Colony’s first sons
- European encroachment on Native American farmland
- Land deeds and King Philip’s War
- The power of Native American kinship networks
- John Sasamon and his death
- King Philip or Metacom
- James Printer and the Nipmuc Indians
- The realities of colonial warfare
- The end of King Philip’s War
- How King Philip’s War can help us better understand early American history
Links to People, Places, and Publications
- Lisa Brooks
- Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip's War
- Companion Website: OurBelovedKin.com
- Virginia DeJohn Anderson, Creatures of Empire: How Domestic Animals Transformed Early America
- Jill Lepore, The Name of War: King Philip's War and the Origins of American Identity
- Jean O’Brien, Firsting and Lasting: Writing Indians Out of Existence in New England
- Boston History Camp, July 7
- Boston Meet Up: July 8, 10am Meet at the corner of Park Street and Tremont Street on Boston Common
- Cleveland Meet Up: Saturday July 21
Sponsor Links
Complementary Episodes
- Episode 053: Emerson W. Baker, A Storm of Witchcraft
- Episode 104: Andrew Lipman, The Saltwater Frontier: Europeans and Native Americans on the Northeastern Coast
- Episode 181: Virginia DeJohn Anderson, The Martyr and the Traitor
- Episode 184: David Silverman, Thundersticks
- Episode 189: Sam White, The Little Ice Age
Time Warp Question
In your opinion, how might the American origin story look different if we removed the idea that Europeans and colonists were destined to defeat Native Americans from the narrative?
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