The Pequot War Analysis

The Pequot War was a conflict between the English Colonists and Pequot tribe. Many scholars and historians have had difficulty explaining why the war had occurred in the first place. Some say it was for religious reasons, while others say it was so that the English could take over the market. Katherine A. Grandjean, who is an assistant professor of history at Wellesley College, argues in her article “New World Tempests: Environment, Scarcity, and the Coming of the Pequot War” that “to a degree not yet grasped, food scarcity directly preceded much of the violence that characterized English colonization” (Grandjean, 2011, p. 75). Grandjean states that the pattern of food scarcity correlating with violence can apply to the Pequot War. The reason …show more content…
Many historians agreed that the main reason the Pequot War had started was because of the economic strain the Pequots had over the English. Kevin McBride writes in the Encyclopedia Britannica that Massachusetts Bay Colony sent the military to Pequot land “in order to exact retribution for [Oldham’s] death” (McBride, 2016, p. 1). However, Grandjean argues that there was a direct link between Oldham’s death and the starting of the Pequot War. Oldham may seem like a regular trader to some historians, but Grandjean claims that Oldham was a middleman, where he “transported precious goods… [and] brokered for corn” (Grandjean, 2011, p. 90). With the harsh environment and the Great Migration that caused strain on the English resources, Oldham was an important link for the English to survive. When Oldham was discovered dead, the English were threatened with starvation and decided to raid the Pequots for food so that they can survive. Grandjean’s article is convincing because supports each of her claims with proper …show more content…
Grandjean even admits that “no surviving account of the war casts the conflict of having been fought for corn” (Grandjean, 2011, p. 96). There is no evidence that the lack of food was the actual reason for English to start the war. Although Pequot War website mentions the English and Pequot destroying “several cornfields,” it never mentions that they kept any corn for themselves (“The History of the Pequot War”, 2017). Grandjean instead infers from the context of her sources and reasonably assumes that since the English had lack of food, it would make sense for the English to raid all the food they could from the Pequots. Though it may seem strange to make a claim without evidence, Grandjean uses logic and context to back up her