Pax Britannica: A History of the British Empire
Jul 27, 2026 · 30 min · 14 segments
The first shots of the King Philip's War, as the United Colonies of New England face off against Philip, Sachem of the Wampanoag. Will the colonies get the short, easy war they expect? Who ever does?…
Sam HulmeHost
Last time, we saw how relations between the United Colonies of New England, particularly Plymouth, and the Wampanoag under Sachem Philip, collapsed under the weight of an apparent murder.
John Sassaman, a Christian Indian, interpreter and professional document witness, was found dead in a frozen pond.
Despite the efforts of Rhode Islanders to avoid war, it appeared to be unavoidable, or at least Plymouth Governor Josiah Winslow was determined not to avoid it.
They came to have their hatchets sharpened by the smith, but it was a Sunday, a Sabbath, and the blacksmith was a God-fearing Puritan, and he wasn't going to work on the Sabbath.
William and John Salisbury, father and son, saw this happening and fired at the Indians as they ran away.
This was bad enough, but then John Salisbury piped up and told them, quote, His dad immediately tried to smooth this over.
As we're well aware of by now, cattle and houses were physical displays of colonial expansion and resented by their native neighbours.
Last time, we saw how relations between the United Colonies of New England, particularly Plymouth, and the Wampanoag under Sachem Philip, collapsed under the weight of an apparent murder.
John Sassaman, a Christian Indian, interpreter and professional document witness, was found dead in a frozen pond.
Despite the efforts of Rhode Islanders to avoid war, it appeared to be unavoidable, or at least Plymouth Governor Josiah Winslow was determined not to avoid it.
They came to have their hatchets sharpened by the smith, but it was a Sunday, a Sabbath, and the blacksmith was a God-fearing Puritan, and he wasn't going to work on the Sabbath.
William and John Salisbury, father and son, saw this happening and fired at the Indians as they ran away.
This was bad enough, but then John Salisbury piped up and told them, quote, His dad immediately tried to smooth this over.
As we're well aware of by now, cattle and houses were physical displays of colonial expansion and resented by their native neighbours.
The rest of this transcript — segmented and speaker-labeled, so you land on the exact moment something was said
Search every transcript — by keyword, by phrase, or by meaning, across every show Radar indexes
Trends — what is surging across podcasts, measured against its own baseline
Alerts — when a name you follow appears in a newly indexed episode
No account is needed to search Radar.
