Samson Occom
Samson Occom was a prominent Mohegan Indian minister, teacher, and advocate for Indigenous rights during the 18th century. He became involved in the religious fervor of the "Great Awakening" at a young age and was educated by Reverend Eleazar Wheelock, who recognized Occom's potential and established a school for Indigenous students. Despite facing challenges, including visual impairments that prevented him from attending college, Occom became a minister to the Montauk tribe and played multifaceted roles in his community, including serving as a judge and teacher.
Occom was ordained as a Presbyterian minister and conducted missions among various tribes, notably raising significant funds in England for Wheelock's Indian school. However, he became disillusioned with Wheelock's decisions, particularly regarding the allocation of funds to Dartmouth College instead of supporting Indigenous education. This led to a severance of their relationship and a shift in Occom's focus toward serving New England tribes as an itinerant preacher. He was dedicated to protecting Indigenous lands and founded the Brothertown community in 1789, aiming to create a refuge for Native peoples. Occom's legacy includes published works that reflect his beliefs and experiences, highlighting his commitment to both his community and Indigenous rights.
Subject Terms
Samson Occom
Preacher
- Born: c. 1723
- Birthplace: New London, Connecticut
- Died: July 14, 1792
- Place of death: New Stockbridge, New York
Tribal affiliation: Mohegan
Significance: Samson Occom was one of the first American Indians educated by whites who successfully bridged both cultures as a missionary and teacher
Samson Occom was caught up in the religious enthusiasm of the “Great Awakening” when he was about sixteen. When he was twenty, his mother went to the Reverend Eleazar Wheelock, a prominent evangelical minister, and asked him to teach her son how to read.
Wheelock’s success in teaching the highly motivated Occom led him to establish a school for Indians, Moor’s Indian Charity School. Wheelock taught the basics of a secular and religious education. “Husbandry” (farming) was taught to boys, and girls were taught what today would be called home economics. Among other things, Wheelock taught Occom and his other students Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, which he believed were essential for future missionaries. (The Protestant emphasis on interpreting the Bible individually meant that students should be able to read the original Greek, Latin and Hebrew biblical texts.)
Unable to attend college because of weak eyes, Occom became a teacher and minister to the Montauk tribe on the eastern tip of Long Island from 1749 to 1764. He was the town’s minister, judge, teacher, and letter writer, and was expected to offer hospitality to visitors. He taught his students the alphabet, spelling, and the like. He received twenty pounds a year from the London Society for the Propagation of the Gospel for his work, less than what white missionaries received for similar work. He married Mary Fowler (a Montauk) in 1751.
Occom was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1759 by the Long Island presbytery. Dr. Wheelock sent him on missions to the Oneida tribe in New York in 1761, 1762, and 1763. In 1764, he returned home to Mohegan, Connecticut, and in 1765 he accompanied the Reverend Nathaniel Whitaker to England to raise money for Wheelock’s Indian school. In two years of preaching across Britain, Occom was able to raise twelve thousand pounds. Upon his return to America, Occom was unwilling to do missionary work among the Iroquois as Wheelock suggested, and was upset over Wheelock’s use of the money raised for Indian students to found Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.
Occom severed his connection with Wheelock and became a poverty-stricken itinerant preacher to the New England tribes. His concern for protecting Indian lands helped cause a rift with his church. In 1773, he sought a land grant from the Oneida tribe to remove a selected group of New England Indians beyond the negative influence of whites. Although interrupted by the American Revolution, Occom was able to establish Brothertown in 1789, and pastored to his people for the remainder of his life. Occom’s published works include Sermon Preached at the Execution of Moses Paul, an Indian (1772) and A Choice Selection of Hymns (1774).