Lesson One: Native Americans in Watertown

Background

When Englishmen arrived in Watertown in 1630, Native Americans had been living here and elsewhere in New England for thousands of years. The local band of native peoples called themselves the Pequosette; they spoke an Algonkian language. Despite years of population decline due to diseases spread by Europeans, Native American presence affected life in Watertown, directly or indirectly, for fifty years. According to Roger Thompson, author of Divided We Stand, Watertown, Massachusetts, 1630 - 1680, Indians " might show up out of the woods at any time; their wigwams might be spied one morning near a familiar pond, in a clearing, or by a highway. By the late 1640's they had become an integral part of the summer harvesting, like modern day migrant workers." Despite fear of Indians and feelings of superiority towards them, white settlers needed Indians as laborers and as guides to life in a new environment.

Key Questions

Primary Sources

Student Activities

Document 1-1: Roger Clapp's Journal

In May 1630, an exploring party of Englishmen came ashore at what is now Watertown. Roger Clapp recorded their experiences:

" We went up Charles River, until the river grew narrow and shallow, and there we landed our goods with much labour and toil, the bank being steep; and night coming on, we were informed that there were hard by us 300 Indians. One Englishman, that could speak the Indian language, (an old planter), went to them, and advised them not to come near us in the night; and they harkened to his counsel and came not out. I myself was one of the sentinels that night...In the morning some of the Indians came and stood at a distance off, looking at us, but came not near. But when they had been awhile in view, some of them came and held out a great bass towards us; so we sent a man with a biscuit, and changed the cake for the bass. Afterwards, they supplied us with bass, exchanging a bass for a biscuit cake, and were very friendly unto us. Had they come upon us, soon they might have destroyed us! I think we were not above ten in number. But God caused the Indians to help us with fish at very cheap rates. We had not been there many days but we had an order to come away from that place, which was about Watertown, unto a place called Mattapan, now Dorchester."

From the "Memoirs of Captain Roger Clap", In Chronicles of the First Planters of Massachusetts Bay, ed. Alexander Young (Boston; Little & Brown, 1846)

Note: Earlier, Captain John Smith had explored and mapped this part of New England. He named the river, the Massachusett, perhaps after a local Indian tribe. When he showed his map to the 17 year old soon-to-be King Charles of England in 1614, the young man directed that the name be changed to the Charles River

Activity 1: - A First Person Account

Read aloud the journal entry by Roger Clapp.

Ask students to give their impressions of the scene. What did each group (Native Americans and the Europeans) think about the other. What did the gift giving represent?

Ask students to draw a picture of the event as they imagine it.


(Primary Source 1-2)

Activity 2: How is History Recorded?

Give each student a copy of the town seal and ask them to describe the picture. Then to consider the following questions:

South Part of NewEngland, 1634
(Primary Source 1-3
Click on map to see larger)

Activity 3: Maps Tell Stories

Hand out to each student, a copy of the map titled: "South part of New England, as it is Planted this yeare, 1634"

Activity 4: Creative Extension

Imagine that you are a Pequosette Indian child, living for part of the year very close to the white settlers but not really with them. You don't speak English, they don't speak your language. What do you think about your new neighbors? Consider how they look and speak and act. Write a story describing an Indian child and a newly-arrived English child as they find ways to get to know each other in 1634. Think about what they might share with each other (i.e. games, foods).

Supplementary Materials

Vocabulary list for primary source 1 (as used in this context):