From The name of war : King Philip’s War and the origins of American identity by Jill Lepore In 1675 Algonquian Indians all over southern New England rose up against the Puritan colonists with whom they had lived peacefully for several decades. The result was the bloodiest war in American history, a terrifying conflict in which the Puritans found themselves fighting with a cruelty they had thought only the natives capable of. By August 1676, when the severed head of the Wampanoag leader, King Philip, was displayed in Plymouth, thousands of Indians and English men, women, and children were dead. More than half of the new towns in New England had been wiped out, and the settlers’ sense of themselves a civilized people of God had been deeply shaken. By interpreting reactions to the war on both sides of the racial divide, historian Lepore reveals the crucial role the conflict played in shaping the colonists’ and the Indians’ ideas of themselves and of each other. More profoundly, she shows us that the lasting effects are felt not in how many lives are lost, but in how brutality is justified and how war is remembered. Click here for more about Lepore’s work.

King Philip’s War had devastating long-term effects on the indigenous populations in New England:

1. Dramatic population decline: The Native American population in New England fell from 140,000 to 10,000 in the first three-quarters of the 17th century, with the war causing a significant portion of this decline. Approximately 40% of New England’s Indian population was killed or fled the region during the conflict 4.
2. Loss of land and independence: The war resulted in severe losses of land and cultural independence for indigenous peoples . Nearly all of Rhode Island was opened to white settlement, and Connecticut claimed most of the southern part of the colony by right of conquest 3.
3. Cultural disintegration: Native Americans were forced to accept the legal authority of colonial courts and many were pressured to live in “praying towns” where they were expected to adopt white customs .
4. Enslavement and forced relocation: Thousands of Native Americans were enslaved, with many being shipped overseas or forced to serve in English households. Others were resettled to new, designated areas or had their children forcibly placed as servants in English homes 2.
5. Broken political power: The war effectively broke the power of New England’s Indians. The remaining indigenous people lived in small, scattered communities, often serving as servants, slaves, and tenants to the colonists.
6. Economic devastation: The conflict destroyed the economy of the Plymouth and Rhode Island Colonies, decimating their populations 1.
7. Loss of autonomy: After the war, the remaining Native Americans in the region had significantly reduced ability to resist further encroachment on their lands and way of life.

These effects collectively led to a drastic reduction in the Native American presence and influence in New England, fundamentally altering the region’s demographic and cultural landscape for centuries to come.

Click on the images below for additional information about the aftermath of the War:

See also:

The Name of War: King Philip’s War and the Origins of American Identity https://sowamsheritagearea.org/wp/the-name-of-war-king-philips-war-and-the-origins-of-american-identity/

Colonial enslavement of Native Americans by Linford Fisher https://www.brown.edu/news/2017-02-15/enslavement