An Address to the People of New-England

In 1750s Massachusetts, a Congregationalist minister made an audacious argument that would later cost him his congregation: the indigenous people of New England deserved justice. Samuel Hopkins's pamphlet directly challenged colonial readers to confront the moral catastrophe of expansion, arguing that systematic mistreatment of Native Americans wasn't just cruelty but strategic madness. Drawing on both scripture and political pragmatism, Hopkins contended that just relations with indigenous peoples were essential for the provinces' safety and prosperity, particularly amid mounting French and Indian War tensions. The text reveals the intellectual foundations of early American humanitarianism and its profound limitations. While Hopkins advocated for fair treatment and conversion, his framework remained embedded in colonial assumptions about indigenous souls and sovereignty. The work endures as evidence that voices challenging colonial violence existed from the start, though tangled with the era's religious frameworks.