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Lesson 5
When Is a Fight a Massacre? The Bloody Brook Massacre and Falls Fight
Answers

a. Why are there discrepancies in the numbers of attackers, those who died, etc.?

Discrepancies - the primary sources were written from memory after the fact; none were written at the time of the attack. Some numbers in the primary sources were purposely inflated for political reasons, and the secondary sources were written long after those who experienced the attack were dead.

b. In the Bloody Brook Massacre, how are the victims viewed?

The victims in the Bloody Brook Massacre are viewed as "inhumanly butchered," "the flower of the county of Essex," and from "respectable families."

c. In the Falls Fight, how are the victims viewed?

The victims of the Falls Fight are viewed as an "Indian force," "rioting," and "savages."

d. Compare the words that describe the victims and attackers in each case. Which show more negative language? Why?

The most negative language is used to describe the Native peoples. White people wrote all of these accounts and they viewed the Native peoples as the enemy in each attack.

e. The attack at Bloody Brook is known as a "massacre" and the attack at the "Falls" is known as a "fight". Which attack had more victims? Which attack resulted in more deaths? In each attack, did either victim group fight back?

The Falls Fight had more victims and more deaths. No one fought back in either attack.

f. In a dictionary, look up the definitions for "fight" and "massacre."

Fight - battle, conflict, struggle; Massacre - savage killing of a considerable number of people, carnage, slaughter

g. Should either attack be called a "massacre"? Why or why not?

Both attacks could be labeled "massacres," because they involved killing innocent people who could not fight back.

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