Great Swamp Massacre painted by Tall Oak, Narragansett

"The Wampanoag had been the first in doing good to the English and the English were the first in doing wrong. When the English first came, Massasoit was a great man and the English as a little child. He constrained other Indians from wronging the English and gave them corn and showed them how to plant. And was free to do them any good and had let them have one hundred times more land than now I have for my own people." - Metacom, to James Easton, 1675

Metacom's Grievances
complete text of Metacom’s speech in 1675

"They said they had been the first in doing good to the English, and the English the first in doing wrong; when the English first came, the king's father was as a great man, and the English as a little child; he constrained other Indians from wronging the English, and gave them corn and showed them how to plant, and was free to do them any good, and had let them have a hundred times more land than now the king had for his own people. But their king's brother, when he was king, came miserably to die, by being forced to court, as they judged poisoned.

"And another grievance was, if twenty of their honest Indians testified that an Englishman had done them wrong, it was nothing; and if but one of their worst Indians testified against any Indian or their king, when it pleased the English, it was sufficient.

"Another grievance was, when their kings sold land, the English would say it was more than agreed to, and a writing must be proof against all of them; and some of their kings had done wrong to sell so much that they left their people none; and some being given to drunkenness, the English made them drunk and then cheated them in bargains. Now their kings were forewarned not to part with land for nothing, in comparison to the value thereof. Those whom the English had owned for king or queen, they now disinherit and make another king that would give or sell them those lands; so that now they had no hopes left to keep any land.

"Another grievance, the English cattle and horses still increased so that when they removed thirty miles from where the English had anything to do, they could not keep their corn from being spoiled. They never used to fence, they thought that when the English bought land of them, they would have kept their cattle upon their own land.

"Another grievance, the English were so eager to sell Indians liquors that most of the Indians spent all in drunkenness and then ravened upon the sober Indians and they did believe often did hurt the English cattle, and their kings could not prevent it."

• Explanation of Thanksgiving
• After 1620: Suggested Activities
• Glossary
• Return to Wampanoag Life After 1620