Upon their arrival in Plymouth, Massachusetts, the Pilgrims established Plymouth Colony on land that used to be occupied by the Wampanoag Tribe. The first Winter here was brutal, killing 50 of 102 of the passengers on the Mayflower. As time went on and with help from the natives, the pilgrims began to adapt. They established their own government with William Bradford as the first governor of the colony.

Relations started off peacefully with the natives, but quickly went south after the death of Chief Massasoit in 1660. He had kept relations between the Pilgrims and the natives very pleasant. After his son Metacom took over, tension rose quickly. The colonists kept advancing onto native land after agreeing not to, and the colonists were hearing rumors that Metacom was planning to attack. The two groups continued to create and then violate more treaties, mostly regarding land ownership. Numerous other issues occurred in the next 16 years, slowly but surely causing strife. In 1776, King Phillip’s war (or Metacom’s war) began.

MJM c&I final