Ben Franklin's world is a production of the

O'Mohandro Institute. Hello and welcome to episode 235 of Ben Franklin's world.

The podcast dedicated to helping you,

learn more about how the people and events of our early American past have shaped the present day world we live in.

And I'm your host, Liz Kovart.

What does early America look like if we feel it through Native American eyes?

Jenny Hill-Pulsifer, an associate professor of history at Brigham Young University,

is a scholar who enjoys investigating the many answers to this question.

And today, she joins us to share one Native American perspective on a critical time in the early American past, the period between the 1650s and the 1680s.

Now, the mid to late 17th century was a time of great transformation in power and governance.

King Phillips War, that war that took place between 1675 and 1678 devastated Native American populations within New England and led to a great decline in Native

power and standing within that region. Plus, London officials challenged the power of the colonists.

In 1684, the English Crown revoked the Massachusetts Bay Charter,

and in 1686, it united Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey into a single administrative

union known as the Dominion of New England.

So this was a really volatile time in early America, which should make us wonder, how did Native Americans view

and experience this period?

Well, Jenny has a perspective she'd like to share with us.

It's the story of John Wampas, a Nipmuc Indian whose life can not only illuminate this really fascinating period of early American history,

but who can also show us what was possible for Native Americans in 17th century America?

Now, as we explore and investigate the life of John Wampas,

Jenny reveals who John Wampas was and details about the interesting life he led. The ways in which John Wampus navigated both the

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