War Holds Key to Native American Banishment

From the Nov. 2, 2012, Wilton (Ct) Bulletin by Joan Lowandy.

It may be "The Forgotten War" to most Americans, but it was anything but that to Native Americans.  "It marks an indelible turning point in their history."  They siding with the British which "made clear what every Indian and colonist already knew, that there could be no peace until one side or the other was completely destroyed,"  according to David Koch, associate professor of history at the Housatonic Community College in Bridgeport.

The U.S. victory in the war began the serious expansion westward.  Indians sided with the British because they considered the Americans a greater threat.  They already knew Americans were land-hungry.

No Connecticut tribes were involved in the war, with the last time the Indians in the state fighting whites in the King Philip's War, 1675-1676.

With the Indians siding with the british, this gave Americans the excuse to kill any natives standing in their way.  In addition, against this onslaught, Indians further compounded their problems by often fighting each other instead of uniting.

Bad Times for Indians.  --Brock-Perry