The Pequot War, a 17th century conflict between English settlers and the Pequot tribe in Connecticut Colony, is the focus of a new comprehensive study by a team of UConn researchers.

Kevin McBride, associate professor of anthropology, says the war, which took place from 1636 to 1638 in southern New England, remains one of the most misinterpreted and least understood events in the history of early America.

Also working on the project re CT State Historian Walter Woodward, State Archaeologist Nick Bellantoni, and the Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center. Funded by the National Park Service American Battlefield Protection Program, the project aims to identify and preserve battlefields and historical sites associated with the Pequot War.

“The English wanted to eliminate the powerful Pequot,” says McBride. “It was the first time a policy of cultural genocide was perpetuated upon a native people in North America. The English justified what they did through a variety of means, including vilifying the Pequot” and portraying them as evil.

But although the English tried to wipe out the tribe, two communities survived and are known today as the Mashantucket Pequot and the Eastern Pawcatuck Pequot tribes.

Lasting for more than two years, there were several major battles and skirmishes that extended over what is now southwestern Rhode Island, coastal Connecticut, the Connecticut River Valley, northeastern Connecticut, and parts of eastern New York.

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