1675

Another entry for The Grid.

Much of what is described below is summarized from Charles C. Mann's great book 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus.
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Crisis - 1675 - King Philip's War

There are a number of reasons why the native Americans might not have immediately resisted encroachments of European settlers after 1492. There appear to have been enough of them to have effectively prevented settlement, if desired.  It's likely that the original settlement attempts by Vikings failed due to just such resistance. It was many years before firearms would be as accurate and quickly loaded as bows and arrows, and steel armor would not have been sufficient when (as initially happened) the new arrivals were outnumbered hundreds to one. 

The Europeans who followed Columbus, however, could count among their advantages the diseases of the old world.  When the Mayflower arrived in Plymouth, it was barely two years after an epidemic had nearly wiped the area clean of any natives that might have resisted. The elimination of whole towns destabilized the native political landscape. Massasoit, leader of the Wampanoag tribe, thus had ample incentive (and little choice) to ally with the Pilgrims against the other local tribes. 

Massasoit continued the productive but increasingly uneasy peace with the Plymouth Colony  for about 40 years, until his death in 1661. His son Wamsutta (who had been given the English name Alexander, as in "the Great") ruled for only a year before he suddenly died after visiting with English officials. Metacomet, Massasoit's second son (known also as Philip, as in "of Macedon") , was suspicious of the timing and may have believed that his brother was poisoned.   Over the next ten years, "King Philip" would begin to organize a rebellion against the colonists. After years of simmering disagreements, unyielding combat would began in 1675.

The effort had some successes at first. Through the winter of 1675, King Philips's forces were able to force the colonists from outlying settlements and concentrate them in their larger towns. The natives' store of food and other supplies were limited, however, and they were greatly outnumbered by the colonists. By summer of 1676, Metacomet's forces switched from offensive to defensive operations, and many of his allies deserted him. He was forced to hide in Assowamset Swamp, near Providence, Rhode Island. On August 12, 1676, he was shot and killed by John Alderman, a Wampanoag who had allied with the English.  His death ended the war, although a few minor skirmishes followed.

During this short period of just over a year, perhaps 800 colonists and 3000 Native Americans were killed. Looking only at the number of casualties, King Philip's War appears to be an easy win for the colonists. However, the colonial losses were a significant percentage of all the English colonists in the new world, and was probably a personal loss for every colonist remaining. For the first time, the colonists had a common experience that was not shared by their fellow English in the Old World. King Philip's War can thus be seen as the start of a distinctly American personality.