Ep. 49: The Pequots, Pt. 15: The Enemy Within

They say a house divided against itself cannot stand. Well, the Pequots in 1637 were one such house. We’ve developed a working model of their last several years as far as relationships to other people. We’ve seen how the Europeans had first traded with them and then tried to subvert their power and influence. We’ve talked about the Narragansetts and both groups of Niantics. We talked about the debilitating effect the smallpox epidemic had had on their population. Lastly, we talked about the murder of Tatobem, their main sachem, and Sassacus, his son and successor. He was not his equal when it came to leadership and the building of consensus, which is how the natives governed — not by authoritarian or totalitarian rule, but consensus. The main sachemship was kind of dynastic, in that it was not unusual that it followed familial lines, but the true leaders arose through both a reputation for good decision making and the ability to form a consensus around important decisions. Although the leadership would normally stay in the bloodline, a change at the top could be a little messy… especially if that change came rapidly, with many “legitimate” claims. That’s what we’ll look at today… the enemy within. Audio Production by Podsworth Media.

History Comes Alive! with Jeff Nichols