Nonantum Crossroads Worksheet
MA Grade 8 Civics • Foundations of American Governance
Crossroads at Nonantum
Sovereignty, Faith, and Law in Early Massachusetts (1646)
Name:
Date: Period:
Local Connection: Right Here in Arlington Long before our town was named Arlington, it was known by its Massachusett name: Menotomy (meaning "swift water"), home to Indigenous communities along Spy Pond and the Mystic River led by the Squaw Sachem. In October 1646, just 6 miles south of modern Arlington across the Charles River, Puritan minister John Eliot met Massachusett leader Waban at Nonantum (present-day Newton/Brighton border).
Part 1
The Meeting in Waban’s Wigwam
In 1646, the Massachusetts General Court ordered that Puritan ministers preach Christianity to the Native people of the region. Roxbury minister John Eliot spent years learning the Algonquian language with the help of an Indigenous interpreter named Cockenoe. On October 28, Eliot walked to the village of Nonantum. There, a respected Massachusett leader named Waban welcomed him into his wigwam. Unlike earlier English preachers who spoke only English, Eliot delivered his sermon in the Massachusett language. Waban and his people listened for over an hour, asking probing questions about justice, God, and why English settlers were taking over their ancestral hunting grounds.
Part 2
The Birth of a "Praying Town"
Waban requested land where his community could live together and govern themselves under Christian laws while preserving their community. Nonantum became the very first "Praying Town" in New England. With Eliot’s assistance, Nonantum established written civil laws. Waban served as the community's primary judge and constable. However, life in a Praying Town came with strict English conditions: residents had to cut their hair in English fashion, abandon traditional spiritual practices, adopt English clothing, and practice fenced agriculture instead of seasonal migration.
Part 3
Civics Dilemma: Protection or Assimilation?
For Native leaders like Waban and the Squaw Sachem of Menotomy, cooperating with colonial leaders was a strategic way to protect their people from land theft and European diseases. Yet for colonial leaders, Praying Towns were a tool of assimilation—erasing Indigenous traditions to make Native people loyal subjects of English rule. Tragically, when King Philip’s War erupted in 1675, English authorities did not trust the Praying Town residents. Despite their loyalty to the colony, hundreds of Christian Native families from Nonantum and Natick were forcibly rounded up and imprisoned on freezing Deer Island in Boston Harbor.
Civics Vocabulary Spotlight
Sovereignty: The authority of a group or government to rule itself independently.
Assimilation: Forcing a culture to give up its traditions to adopt the culture of a dominant group.
Praying Town: Colonial settlements where Indigenous people converted to Christianity and lived under English-style laws.
Covenant: A sacred contract or binding agreement between people to form a community and follow shared laws.
Section 1: Quick Recall & Understanding
Est. Time: 7 mins
1. Why was John Eliot able to successfully communicate with Waban and the community at Nonantum in 1646?
A He forced them all to learn English first
B He preached in the Massachusett language
C He hired English soldiers to force them
D Waban had already lived in London
2. Local Connection: What was the original Massachusett name for our area (Arlington), and who was its notable leader?
3. Name two English lifestyle rules that Native residents had to follow in order to live in Nonantum:
Rule 1:
Rule 2:
Section 2: Civics Connection – Who Belongs in the Community?
Est. Time: 7 mins
In Civics, we study how governments decide who gets rights and protections under the law. Compare both viewpoints below:
Colonial Puritan Government View
Believed citizenship and legal protection required following English customs, converting to Puritan Christianity, and answering to English colonial courts.
Indigenous Sovereignty View (Waban & Menotomy)
Sought to preserve their people’s survival, land rights, and self-governance through treaties, while balancing their traditional culture with European pressures.
Civics Analysis Task: Based on the two views above, explain one major conflict between what Puritans required for legal protection and what Indigenous leaders sought to preserve:
Section 3: Civic Judgment & Opinion
Est. Time: 8 mins
Taking a Stand: Was Nonantum an honest attempt at peaceful coexistence, or primarily a tool of colonial control?
Sentence Starters: • In my opinion, Nonantum was mostly an example of [...] because... • Evidence from the reading shows that...
Civics Big Idea: How a society treats minority cultures reveals whether its democracy truly protects everyone.
Page 2 of 2 • Menotomy to Nonantum
