KING PHILIP, INDIAN CHIEF AND HATER OF WHITE MEN
50. King Philip. After the death of old Massasoit the friendship between Pilgrims and Indians soon came to an end. More and more white settlers came in and built homes. The Indians began to fear that they would be crowded out of the country which belonged to them and to their fathers before them. No longer were they treated with respect as at first. They were a proud people, and grew bitter because they saw that they were despised.
One of the proudest of the race was Philip, son of Massasoit and ruler of his people. Several times the governor of Plymouth forced him to do things against his will. This hurt the pride of Philip, and he began to hate the English. His own people also came to him frequently with complaints against the white men. Philip grew surly, while the colonists began to distrust him.
The bad feeling grew on both sides, and gradually both Indians and colonists came to believe all the evil stories that were told of each other. Both sides collected arms, powder, and lead. After a short while war with all its horrors began. The Indians burned many villages and massacred hundreds of white men, women, and children.
There was much fighting, and finally the Indians were completely defeated. Most of the braves were killed; those who were captured were sold as slaves. Philip's family was killed or captured. He himself fled to a swamp, where he met death at the hands of one of his own people.