Samson Occom
Lithographed portrait print, “The Reverend Sampson Occom” (circa 1830), (Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History)
Inspired by the religious leaders of the Great Awakening, Samson Occom (1723–1792) became a Presbyterian minister in the 1740s. Born into the Mohegan nation in New London, Connecticut, he became the first American Indian writer to publish his works. He traveled to England and Scotland to preach, eventually returning home to continue his ministry among Christian Indians in New England and New York.
