William Apess And The Mashpee Revolt

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Apess Paper

04-17-2008

“William Apess and the Mashpee Revolt”

Growing up in multiple homes and struggling with alcoholism would have dampened the spirit of any man, but William Apess used his misfortunes to strengthen his will to fight for what he believed in. His Pequot ancestry and their demise as an Indian nation, along with his Christian beliefs led him to unprecedented territory in the struggle for the proper treatment and equality of all people. His most notable accomplishment involving the Mashpee revolution places him at the top of the elite in oratory and literary protesting.

The Pequot tribe inhabited most of Southeastern Connecticut when the colonists arrived to the new world. The Pequot were among the most feared tribes in Southern New England in relation to the colonists. Actually, the name “Pequot” is of Algonquian descent and translates to mean “destroyers”. As the Pequot were migrating westward continuous altercations with the colonists arose. One incident in particular led to the murder of an English man believed to be a traitor by the Pequot. John Endicott, of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, organized an attack against the Pequot in retaliation for the murder of the alleged traitor, John Oldham. On May 26, 1637 the Pequot were attacked by some colonists as well as the Pequot former tribesmen the Mohegan and Uncas. Nearly all the Pequot villages were burned and nearly all of the Pequot were killed. Some small groups did escape but most were found and either murdered or sold into slavery to other Indian nations as well as residents of the West Indies. After the “Pequot War”, the Pequot name was all but eliminated giving way to the Mohegan. The pride of the Pequot people and their immense hatred of the Mohegan tribe were very prevalent then and are to this day among the very few who trace their ancestry back to the Pequot nation. There are only believed to be about fifty Pequot Indians left and their hatred for the Mohegan in present time gives some insight to the attitudes that Apess was introduced to during his short time among the tribe.

Although Apess only lived among the remaining Pequot for five years, he was undoubtedly influenced by their history and views of the white man. After his alcoholic grandmother beat him he was graciously taken in by the Furman family. Eventually he was legally an indentured servant of the Furmans. While living with the Furmans, Apess was introduced to the idea of Christianity for the first time. Apess was living among white people and began to think and act like white people, which proved to be detrimental to his stay with the Furmans. Apess states in “Son of the Forest”, his autobiography, that he regularly contemplated running away because that was common thought of young white boys at the time. Mr. Furman did not view Apess as an equal and preceded to sale his servitude to a prominent family known as the Hillhouses. Apess realizes he looked down upon by the whites when he is sold by Mr. Furman. Apess plainly states in “Son of the Forest” the shock and horror he felt when he was sold to the Hillhouses, and how he later “identified with the enslaved blacks”. After a short time with the Hillhouses he is again sold to a politically prominent family of New London named the Williames.

During this time in New London, the Methodist religion was becoming more prominent and influential. Apess was drawn to the Methodist believers mainly because of their acceptance of all people. Words like “brethren” and “brother” were used by the Methodists to refer to any man who shared in their faith no matter what their race was. This acceptance of everyone by the Methodists not only interested Apess but caused great persecution of the Methodist faith from the popular majority of whites. Apess buys into the act of accepting all people and believes that it is the right way to live. As he becomes more involved in the Methodist church, he begins to speak to a number of crowds despite the persecution and heckling he received by white people. Many of the people who listened to him were simply amused by an actual Indian preacher due to the fact that most of the tribes had already been forced out of their lands. Apess continues his ministry but begins to use it as a stepping stone to advocate not only Christianity but also the importance of human rights. Despite the persecution and prejudice against him, he fervently continues promoting equality, and begins to focus more specifically on the mistreatment of all Indian nations. Apess was an extremely talented speaker but his avocations of Native American’s civil rights through literature became a more successful avenue for him. He wrote several pieces of literature promoting civil rights directed at the American nation and government including “Indian Nullification of the Unconstitutional laws of the Massachusetts Bay Colony”. His influence and dedication to the struggle for Native American rights is most prevalent in his involvement in the Mashpee Revolution.

The Mashpee Indians were legal residents of Massachusetts and were struggling against the majority to keep their land and uphold their right to live and rule as a free people. The Mashpee were Christians and were very aware of the influence and