ASH3002y Reading Assignment
February 10, 1999

The Pequot War

For this class, we'll blend a variety of approaches to this episode in American history.

First, to get an overview, look at the timeline of the war that I've posted on our website.

Then, read the two assigned narratives of the war:

• John Mason, A Brief History of the Pequot War:   Especially of the memorable Taking of their Fort at Mistick in Connecticut in 1637.  ed. Charles Orr.  Cleveland:  Helman-Taylor, 1897. (This text is available in Adobe Acrobat format as well.)
• Gardener, Lion.  Leift Lion Gardener his relation of the Pequot Warres.  Boston, 1833.  History of the Pequot War, ed. Charles Orr.  Cleveland:  Helman-Taylor, 1897.

If you have difficulty accessing or reading the electronic versions of these texts, let me know.  There are additional copies of Mason's narrative and Gardener's narrative in Charles Orr, A History of the Pequot War, on reserve at the Barnard library.

Look also at the historical materials presented at the web site of the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center.   Consider especially the Tribal Nation History and the Timeline of Events.

Consider as well the following images. 

• Maps of Seventeenth-century Native American Settlements
• Map of Pequot War Battle Sites
• Attack on the Pequot Village at Mystic, Connecticut

As you examine this material, prepare to discuss it.  Consider it from the angles that most interest you.  You might consider the language in which Mason and Gardener describe the battles.  You may want to compare and contrast their accounts.  How different are their narratives?  You may also want to compare their narratives with the drawing of the battle, or try to plot their descriptions on the map.  You might choose instead to focus on the drawing of the battle.  What do you see in it?   Whatever your focus, come to class prepared to contribute to an active discussion of this material.

Also, don't forget that you should now be on chapters 19-22, pp. 100-115 in the Penguin Moby-Dick.  What do the materials that you've read about the Pequot War suggest about the implications of this whaling ship's name?