Surname 1

Student’s Name

Professor

Course

Date

Author Analysis: Samson Occom

Samson Occom was an exceptional Native American scholar and a writer during the 18th

century. He was also a missionary and a Native American minister whose influence promoted

more intimate ties between Native American and the Europe culture. He was not only able to

speak English but also write it with style. He is considered to be the father of Native American

literature. In addition to being a writer and a scholar, he was also a schoolteacher and a preacher

who dedicated his whole life in God and committed in helping people. He knew that being an

Indian in a white man's land was a liability. He taught native students how to speak English.

He was born in 1723, in a Mohegan settlement. His parents were Joshua, the father and Sarah,

the mother. His mum, who was a widow, had a significant influence on him as she was one of

the first converts of the Great Awakening. At the age of 16, his mother converted him, and

Occom became a second generation Christian (Elliott 234). James Davenport was a friend of

Eleazer Wheelock, an evangelist and Occom’s mentor. His preaching was the basis for Occom’s

conversion. He joined Wheelock’s school at Lebanon where he began to teach himself English

(Love 12). He was a talented student and his expertise in languages enabled him to excel even at

challenging languages such as Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. He became proficient in the Oneida

language and later taught it among the Iroquois nation. His progress was an aspiration to

Wheelock; led to his founding of the Indian Charity School whose purpose was to offer
 Surname 2

education services to Native American missionaries (Elliott 234). Occom studied at Wheelock’s

school for four years. However, he never attended college because of his failing health and poor

eyesight. He started his teaching profession not so far away from his home after which he moved

to Long Island to teach and minister Indians, where he spend 11 years. He got his education in

the Anglo world and received financial support from the white man’s religious institutions but he

never abandoned his home. He carried a responsibility not only to his family but also to his

community of origin and the Native Americans in general (Love 17). In one of his papers he

wrote, “I am Now fully Convinced, that the Indians must have Teachers of the own color or

Nation, –They have very great… Prejudice against the White People, and they have too much

good reason for it—they have been imposed upon, too much . . .”

Associating Christianity with white establishment resulted to a conflict. Occom advocated for

better education but was against the acquisition of tribal lands by the government (Peyer 218).

He was sent to contribute money for Wheelock's school but when he returned Wheelock had

betrayed him by shifting the school in to a new location where Native Americans had limited

chances of being enrolled. This betrayal is a part of the reason he founded the Brotherton.

Throughout his work of spreading Christianity, Occom aimed to stabilize relationship between

Mohegan and Mohawks, which assisted him to found the Brotherton Indian’s group that was

composed of Christian members (Peyer 221). The Brotherton began shifting to the West, and

Occom hoped that they would free themselves from the pressure of the white people and be able

to focus on spreading Christianity. Unfortunately, he never got the chance to fulfill his wish

because he died in 1792, but the descendants moved further west during the 1820s where they

established what is known today as Brotherton town.

 Surname 3

Occom practiced writing all his profession. His skills grew with time and the many times he

wrote. For 37 years, he kept a diary, which until today remains a remarkable historical document

(Occom 22). In his diary, he recorded his work and activities. A Sermon Preached at the

Execution of Moses Paul, an Indian and A Choice Collection of Hymns and Spiritual Songs are

some of Occom’s major works and are known to be the first books that an American Indian

could publish. The intoxicated murder case that occurred in 1772 is what inspired his sermon

such that he preached a temperance sermon at the execution (Occom 31). His sermon on the need

for temperance touched the hearts of many listeners so much that he was persuaded to publish

the book, which became the best-selling. Two years later, he posted a collection of songs he had

collected while on his ministry, including those that he wrote himself.

In conclusion, Occom's literary contributions have been regarded as founding efforts.

Being the first attempts of an American Indian, these works offer a great value such that they

have a historical significance. Besides, they are viewed as expressions of an active proponent of

Indian rights. His groundbreaking works suggest that he is the father of modern Native American

literature. Honestly, he deserves to be praised for achieving communication with both Indians

and white people without discriminating either of them, which is not an easy one. He appealed to

both native and non-natives regardless of where hi heart lay.

 Surname 4

Works Cited

Elliott, Michael. "This Indian Bait": Samson Occom and the Voice of Liminality." Early

American Literature vol. 29, no. 3, 1994, pp. 233-253.

Love, W. DeLoss. "Samson Occom and the Christian Indians of New England. 1899." Syracuse:

Syracuse UP (2000).

Occom, Samson. The Collected Writings of Samson Occom, Mohegan. Oxford University Press

on Demand, 2006.

Peyer, Bernd. "Samson Occom: Mohegan Missionary and Writer of the 18th Century." American

Indian Quarterly 1982, pp. 208-217.