Native nations & living voices
William Apess
1798–1839
Massachusetts connection
Colrain, Mashpee, and Boston
Apess was a Pequot writer, minister, and advocate for Native rights. In Boston he delivered a speech about Metacom that challenged the way colonists had been celebrated. His writing asks readers to consider Native perspectives and the unequal treatment of Native people.
You can use your device’s reading tools or read with a partner.
Your turn, historian
Find a detail. Build an idea.
- What did this person or group do? Point to a detail in the reading.
- How did this person care for a community, its rights, or its knowledge?
- What would you like to find out next? Which kind of source could help?
“William Apess mattered because ___. A detail that supports my idea is ___.”
Follow the evidence.
This short reading is an original classroom summary. Open the source with your teacher to check details and learn more.
Read the source: americanantiquarian.org ↗Ask: Who made this source? What can it tell us? What might it leave out?