Eulogy on King Philip (1836) is a speech by William Apes. An
indentured servant, soldier, minister, and activist, Apes lived an
uncommonly rich life for someone who died at just 41 years of age.
Recognized for his pioneering status as a Native American public figure,
William Apes was an astute recorder of a life in between. His Eulogy on
King Philip celebrates the Wampanoag sachem also known as Metacomet,
whose attempt to live in peace with the Plymouth colonists ended in
brutal warfare. "[A]s the immortal Washington lives endeared and
engraven on the hearts of every white in America, never to be forgotten
in time- even such is the immortal Philip honored, as held in memory by
the degraded but yet grateful descendants who appreciate his character;
so will every patriot, especially in this enlightened age, respect the
rude yet all accomplished son of the forest, that died a martyr to his
cause, though unsuccessful, yet as glorious as the American Revolution."
Long considered an enemy of the American people, a rebel whose head was
left on a pike for years in Plymouth, King Philip remained a hero to his
descendants. In this fiery speech, Pequot activist William Apes portrays
Philip as an impassioned defender of his people whose assassination and
martyrdom serve as a reminder of the brutality of the early colonists.
For Apes, a leader of the nonviolent Mashpee Revolt of 1833, Philip was
a symbol of indigenous resistance whose legacy remained strategically
misunderstood and misrepresented in American history. With a beautifully
designed cover and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of
William Apes' Eulogy on King Philip is a classic of Native American
literature reimagined for modern readers.
