North Stonington in Southeastern Region, Connecticut — The American Northeast (New England)
Samson Occom
America 250 | Connecticut
Samson Occom was a Mohegan minister and educator. In 1775, he wrote this letter urging the Oneida Tribe to stay neutral in the Revolutionary War.
Occom was born in a wigwam on Mohegan land, near New London, CT in 1723. He learned about Christianity during the Great Awakening, studied Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, published a book in English, and became a Presbyterian minister, preaching to indigenous and colonial audiences in America and across Great Britain, while also raising funds to educate indigenous children.
Occom drew on his wide-ranging sources of knowledge in this letter. "The former Kings of England use to let the People in this Country have their Freedom and Liberty," Occom wrote, "but the present King of England wants to make them Slaves to himself, and the People in this Country don't want to be Slaves." If the Oneida intervened, Occom urged them to "help the oppressed" by taking the American side. Nonetheless, Occom's primary advice was, "not to intermeddle in these Quarrils among the White People." He concluded: "Blessed are the Peacemakers."
The Mohegan Tribe safeguards Samson Occom's papers and shares the Tribe's history at the Tantaquidgeon Museum on the Mohegan Reservation in Uncasville, CT.
Erected by Design
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Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Communications • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • War, US Revolutionary. In addition, it is included in the America 250 series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1775.
Location. 41° 24.999′ N, 71° 51.125′ W. Marker is in North Stonington in Southeastern Region, Connecticut. It is on Jewish War Veterans Memorial Highway (Interstate 95) west of Connecticut Route 49, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: North Stonington CT 06359, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on the Connecticut Shoreline, in Greater New London, in Mystic and the Eastern Shore, and in the Thames River Valley. It is also in the American Northeast, in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it
Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), September 20, 2026
2. Signs on display at the Southbound Rest Area
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Connecticut African American Freedom Trail (here, next to this marker); North Stonington (approx. 2.2 miles away); Connecticut Charter Oak Descendent (approx. 2.3 miles away); North Stonington First Settled (approx. 2.3 miles away); North Stonington World War II Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.4 miles away); Bell of 1870 (approx. 2.4 miles away); North Stonington Vietnam Veterans Memorial (approx. 2.4 miles away); North Stonington World War II Honor Roll (approx. 2.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in North Stonington.
Credits. This page was last revised on September 23, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 23, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 23, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
