King Phillips War, also called Metcomets War, ran from 1675–1678 and would define the relationship between the indians & American colonists. This was the genesis of the independent American character, as the colonists had no support of any of their mother countries & had to stand and fight on their own.

While there had been some clashes between colonists and indians prior to this, the scale of this one would set it apart. Many towns were burned to the ground, and some 10% of the military aged males of the colonies would die in the fighting.

The Indian Wars would continue until 1924 with the last Apache raid. These centuries of constant, low intensity warfare are the background radiation of the American identity.