Author Eric B. Schultz presented a talk on his book, “King Philip’s War: A History and Legacy of America’s Forgotten Conflict,” which he co-authored with Michael Tougias. Schultz provided an overview of the War, a travelogue of its key events in Massachusetts Bay and throughout Colonial New England—and its lasting legacy.
Metacom (1638-1676), also known as Metacomet, Pometacom, and King Philip, was a tribal leader of the Pokanoket tribe (R.I.) and the Wampanoag nation. He was the second son of Massasoit and followed his father as chief sachem. Metacom’s relationship with the colonists was more contentious than his father’s. Disputes over land, peace treaties, and the ensuing mutual mistrust led to an uprising against the colonists, known as King Philip’s War (1675-1676; treaty signed 1678). The War is considered the bloodiest war per capita in U.S. History, with hundreds of colonists dead and thousands of Indigenous Peoples killed, wounded, or sold into slavery, decimating many tribes and changing the social and cultural landscape of southern New England.
Eric Schultz is a former Chair of the New England Historic Genealogical Society and the Gettysburg Foundation; he is a current Director of the Old Colony Historical Society.
Click here to view a recording by DedhamTV of a recording of the talk.