HISTORY BOOK CLUB

The Bristol Historical & Preservation Society and the Rogers Free Library have joined together to commemorate the 350th anniversary of the King Philip War with a three-session History Book Club. 

Next up for books to read is the The Name of War by Jill Lepore. The discussion for this book will be held at 1 p.m. on April 5th -- in the Quiet Study Room at the Rogers Free Library, 525 Hope Street, Bristol, RI. Free and open to the public....no need to register, just stop by and join in the conversation!

On June 21, 1675, Pokanoket warriors killed seven colonists in Swansea in retaliation for a series of injustices suffered at the hands of the English. Generally considered the beginning of King Philip's War, this act led to a bloody conflict that involved every New England colony and Algonquian peoples throughout the region. Local tribes attacked more than half of all the settlements in New England and reduced about a dozen towns in Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies to ashes. By the end of the War in August of 1676, more than 600 settlers had died and 1,200 homes had been burned. An estimated 3,000 Native Americans died at the hands of the English.

• The first book for discussion was Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. 
• The second book for discussion was Diary of King Philip’s War, 1675-1676 by Benjamin Church. 
• The third and final book for discussion is on April 5: The Name of War by Jill Lepore.

Copies of the books will be available for checkout at the Rogers Free Library circulation desk a month in advance of the discussion date.