In the Pequot War, which allied tribe aided the Puritans against the Pequots?

• A. Iroquois
• B. Mohegans
• C. Narragansetts
• D. Abenaki

Answer: (C)

Alliances between colonists and nearby Indigenous nations could determine who won regional conflicts in this era. The Narragansetts joined with the Puritans (along with the Mohegans) to counter Pequot power, seeing the Pequots as a threat to their safety and trading interests. Their warriors and support helped the English launch and sustain the decisive attack on the Pequot stronghold at Mystic River in 1637, a turning point that effectively broke Pequot dominance in the region. Because of that collaboration, the Narragansetts are remembered as the allied tribe that aided the Puritans in this war. Other groups played different roles in other contexts, but their involvement here was not as central to the pivotal campaign.