Massacre at Mystic

Comprehension Questions:
1. How would you describe relationships between the Puritan settlers and the Pequot
before the Pequot War? Why do you think these relationships changed so quickly?
2. Before the arrival of the British, what was the status of the Pequot in the
Connecticut River Valley? How would you describe their relationships with other
Native American tribes?
3. Why did the Puritans travel to the New World? What were their intentions upon
arrival?
4. Compare and contrast Puritan and Pequot ideas about the following: land and
property, division of labor and gender, and warfare? Give examples to back up
your discussion.
5. In this program, one commentator suggests that the Dutch colonists favored trade,
while the British prioritized land. How did the difference in focus shape their
interactions with Native Americans, and their goals in the New World?
6. Why were British settlers unhappy with the way Pequot organized their economy
and relationship to the land? Do you think there was any validity to their concerns?
Who do you think, if anyone, ultimately had the right to decide who should
control the land?
7. Why do you think the Narragansett and Mohegan tribes fought with the Puritans
against the Pequot? Were you surprised by their actions? Discuss.
8. One commentator, Tall Oak, ponders how the early colonies would have been
different if the Puritans had come in peace. How would you answer this question?
Do you think a different outcome in relations between the Pequot and the Puritans
was possible?
9. How did the Pequot manage to resurrect their community hundreds of years after
the massacre? How do you think it would feel to go from devastation to prosperity?
10. Describe the details of the 1638 Treaty of Hartford, which ended the war. Why
was the treaty considered to be cultural genocide for the Pequot?
11. What sources do you think historians used in order to recount the story of the
massacre at Mystic? What sources might you use if you were trying to create a
documentary about the early colonies? Do you think this documentary offers a
balanced and informed view of the massacre? Discuss.
12. How did the massacre at Mystic changed the United States?