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Summary |
| A True History of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, a minister’s wife in New England. | This is a true story about the capture and release of Mary Rowlandson, a minister’s wife in New England. |
| Wherein is set forth, the cruel and inhumane usage she underwent amongst the heathens, for eleven weeks time: and her deliverance from them. | It tells of her cruel treatment by the godless people who held her captive for eleven weeks and how she was freed. |
| Written by her own hand, for her private use: and now made public at the earnest desire of some friends, for the benefit of the afflicted. | She wrote it for her own use, but it is now made available to the public. |
| Whereunto is annexed, a sermon of the possibility of God’s forsaking a people that have been near and dear to him. Preached by Mr. Joseph Rowlandson, husband to the said Mrs. Rowlandson: it being his last sermon. | A religious lecture by her husband is also included. |
| Printed first at New England: and reprinted at London, and sold by Joseph Poole, at the Blue Bowl in the Long Walk, by Christchurch Hospital. 1682. | Printed in New England and reprinted in London. |
Mary White Rowlandson, A true history of the captivity & restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, 1682. Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, New-York Historical Society.
Background
In the second half of the 1600s English colonists and Native Americans were in a state of near-constant warfare over land and resources. Both groups regularly took captives and the abduction of women and children was common. The English treated Native Americans harshly. Historians estimate the English sold several hundred captives into slavery during King Philip’s War (also called Metacom’s War).
Some Native American communities, like the Narragansett and the Wampanoag, abducted colonists to repopulate communities that had been weakened by war and disease. Occasionally the captives were ransomed, but not all captives were eager to return to the English settlements. For these captives, life in Native American communities provided opportunities that women, children, and enslaved people did not experience among the English. While the captives were generally treated well and violence was rare, it was still a harrowing experience for most of them.
Some captured colonists published accounts of their experiences when they returned. Today historians call their books “captivity narratives.” These works were wildly popular in the American colonies and England. While captivity narratives had some truth to them, the authors often exaggerated their experiences to make their stories more exciting for readers. Captivity narratives often promoted the idea that Native Americans were violent and uncivilized. This means that they need to be read with a careful understanding of bias. Even so, captivity narratives provide a firsthand insight into Native American communities from a time when written accounts of them are scarce.
About the Document
Mary Rowlandson was a Puritan wife and mother who lived in Lancaster, Massachusetts during King Philip’s War. King Philip’s War began when leaders of the Wampanoag Confederacy tried to stop the encroachment of English settlers on their ancestral lands. On February 10, 1676, a group of Narragansett warriors attacked Lancaster. They killed seventeen colonists and abducted twenty-four Lancaster residents, including Mary and her three children. Her six-year-old daughter Sarah was wounded during the attack and died a week into captivity. Mary and her two remaining children were held for eleven weeks. During her captivity they were separated, frequently moved around, and given little to eat. Mary claimed that she was held by the Pocasset leader Weetamoo. The Narragansett freed Mary and her children in exchange for a ransom.
Mary’s captivity narrative was edited and published by Puritan leader Cotton Mather in 1682. Captivity narratives were particularly popular in Puritan settlements because they were framed as tales of danger, temptation, and ultimate redemption through belief in God. As the title page suggests, Cotton sensationalized Mary’s story and demonized the Narragansett warriors that had taken her. The book was so popular that it is considered the first bestseller published in the American colonies.
Vocabulary
- captive: A person who has been taken prisoner.
- Narragansett: An Indigenous tribe that has lived in present-day Rhode Island since pre-European contact. Today there is a Narragansett community in Rhode Island.
- Puritans: A group of English Protestants who left England for the New World to start their own settlements where religion would govern daily life.
- ransom: A payment to free a person who has been kidnapped.
- Wampanoag Confederacy: A group of Indigenous communities that cooperated for mutual security and support in southeastern Massachusetts.
Discussion Questions
- How does the title page describe Mary Rowlandson’s experience? How does it characterize the Narragansett people?
- Why did Cotton Mather sensationalize Mary Rowlandson’s experience? What does that reveal about Puritan beliefs?
- Why do you think captivity narratives became a popular form of literature in the colonial period? What does it reveal about colonists’ attitudes toward Indigenous communities?
- Captivity narratives often exaggerated the experiences of captives. Why is it still helpful to read these stories to learn about the life in colonial period?
Suggested Activities
- APUSH Connection: 2.5 Interactions Between American Indians and Europeans
- Include this resource in a lesson about the relationships between Indigenous communities and European colonists.
- Include this resource in a lesson about King Philip’s War.
- Pair this resource with Life Story: Weetamoo. Most of what we know of Weetamoo comes from sources written by English colonists, including Mary Rowlandson’s captivity narrative.
- To explore another example of Cotton Mather’s publishing to influence the daily lives of Puritans, pair this resource with Ornaments for the Daughters of Zion.
- Combine this resource with Travel Diary of Sarah Kemble Knight for a lesson on memoirs by women in the English colonies.
- For a larger lesson on the experiences of women in the Puritan English colonies, combine this resource with any of the following:
Themes
POWER AND POLITICS
