William Apess facts for kids

Autobiography of William Apess

William Apess (born 1798, died 1839), also known as William Apes before 1837, was a very important leader, writer, and minister. He was a member of the Pequot people and also had European and African American family. Apess became a Methodist minister in 1829. That same year, he published his autobiography, which was one of the first books written by a Native American author. He was a strong voice for Native American rights.

In 1833, Apess visited the Mashpee people on Cape Cod. They were having problems with white settlers taking their wood and land. Apess helped them organize a protest known as the Mashpee Revolt in 1833-1834. This effort to gain more rights was reported in newspapers. Apess wrote a book about it in 1835. Even though he lost some supporters later in life, he is remembered as a very successful activist for Native American rights.

Growing Up

William Apess was born in 1798 in Colrain, Massachusetts. His parents were William and Candace Apess, both from the Pequot tribe. William's father was part Pequot and part European American. His mother also had European American and African American family. Apess said he was related to King Philip, a famous Native American leader from the 1600s.

When William was young, his parents separated. He and his four brothers and sisters went to live with their grandparents. However, his grandparents treated them badly. A neighbor stepped in to help, and William was sent to live with a kind family, the Furmans. He stayed with them for about a year to recover from his injuries.

William did not see his Pequot family again for many years. He grew to love the Furman family, even though he was living with them as a helper. Mrs. Furman, who was a Baptist, taught him about Christianity. William went to school in the winter for six years and also helped Mr. Furman with work.

When William was eleven, he tried to run away, but he didn't really want to leave. Still, the Furmans sold his agreement to another family, and then to General William Williams. William stayed with General Williams for four years. During this time, he became very interested in the Methodists. Their church welcomed people of different backgrounds, including Native Americans and African Americans.

At age fifteen, William ran away from General Williams. He joined a military group in New York and fought in the War of 1812. After the war, from 1816 to 1818, he worked in different jobs in Canada.

Later, Apess decided to return to his Pequot family in Massachusetts. He reconnected with his heritage. He also started attending Methodist meetings and was baptized in December 1818.

Family Life

In 1821, William Apess married Mary Wood. She was also of mixed heritage. They had one son and three daughters. After Mary passed away, Apess married again. He and his second wife moved to New York City in the late 1830s.

His Work and Activism

After he got married, Apess felt called to preach. In 1829, he became a Protestant Methodist minister. This group was less strict than other Methodist churches. That same year, he published his autobiography, A Son of the Forest. This book was one of the first autobiographies by a Native American. It was written partly to speak out against leaders like President Andrew Jackson, who wanted to move Native Americans from their lands. Apess wrote about his spiritual journey and also about how European Americans treated Native Americans unfairly.

As a Methodist minister, Apess traveled and preached to many different groups of people, including Native Americans, European Americans, and African Americans. In 1833, he visited Mashpee, the largest Native American town in Massachusetts. There, he helped start the first Native American temperance society on October 11, 1833. This group aimed to promote self-control and healthy living. Apess was chosen as president, and many Mashpee people joined.

While in Mashpee, Apess learned that the Mashpee Wampanoag people were being treated unfairly by the state government. Their right to govern themselves had been taken away. White supervisors allowed settlers to take wood from Mashpee land. The Mashpee people wanted to protect their land.

Apess spoke up for them at meetings. He also took part in the Mashpee Revolt of 1833-1834. The Mashpee people wrote to the state government, saying they wanted to govern themselves and stop white settlers from taking their wood. They also wrote to Harvard College about a minister they didn't like, who they said was taking their land.

During this time, some Mashpee people stopped a settler from taking wood. Three Native Americans were arrested, and Apess was also held for a short time. Their lawyer helped them appeal to the government. The Mashpee protest was similar to a national event called the Nullification Crisis of 1832, where some states argued they could ignore federal laws. Apess wanted to show how the Mashpee people were trying to ignore Massachusetts laws that were unfair to Native Americans. He often compared the fight for Native American rights to the American colonists' fight for independence.

From 1831 to 1836, Apess published several of his speeches. He became known as a powerful speaker. However, some groups, both white and Mashpee, started to distance themselves from him. In 1836, he gave a famous speech honoring King Philip, a Native American leader from the 1600s. Apess praised King Philip as a leader equal to any European American leader. He gave this speech in Boston and other places in New England.

After publishing his speech, Apess moved to New York City with his second wife and children. He struggled to find work because of a difficult economic time in 1837.

His Passing

William Apess passed away at the age of 41 on April 10, 1839, in New York City. He died from a stroke.

Important Words from William Apess

• "I felt sure that Christ died for everyone – that age, group, color, country, or situation doesn't matter. I felt certain that I was included in God's plan with all my brothers and sisters." – from A Son of the Forest
• "Just as the great Washington is loved and remembered by every white person in America, never to be forgotten – so too is the great Philip honored and remembered by his descendants who appreciate him." – from Eulogy on King Philip
• "Is it not because many leaders have a very unfair, ugly, and impure way of thinking, as corrupt as it can be – while these same uncaring, self-important people pretend that skin color is an excuse to keep us from our natural and legal rights?" – from An Indian's Looking-Glass For The White Man

Images for kids

• 

  Autobiography of William Apess