Igniting King Philip's War: The John Sassamon Murder Trial
"Kawashima has provided a thorough yet concise treatment of the most important legal proceeding in the history of England's North American colonies. It is a pleasure to follow his detective work through the maze of forensic possibilities in the John Sassamon case."--James D. Drake, author ofKing Philip's War: Civil War in New England, 1675-1676"The fact that this case became one of those crucial flash-points in relations between natives and newcomers makes this book especially important. What emerged in that courtroom, and in the executions that followed, was the deep and abiding mistrust that had developed between various groups of peoples in seventeenth-century Massachusetts. Will intrigue readers both inside and outside academe."--Peter Mancall, author ofDeadly Medicine: Indians and Alcohol in Early America