In this episode of 20 Minute Books, we delve into the gripping chronicle titled "Mayflower" authored by Nathaniel Philbrick. Published in 2006, "Mayflower" is an intricate tapestry of narratives that strings together an epic tale of the perilous 1620 voyage, embarked upon by a group of religious separatists, intent on establishing a new colony on the North American shores. What follows their consequential journey is an incredible saga of survival, peaceful cohabitation with native peoples, and a devastating war that erupts half a century later. "Mayflower" serves as a revelation of the unfiltered realities of the settlers, the political intricacies involved, and the formation of a nation from these eventful occurrences.
The esteemed author, Nathaniel Philbrick, is a recipient of numerous accolades and has regularly featured on the New York Times best-seller list for his compelling history-themed books, such as "In the Heart of the Sea", "Bunker Hill", and "Away Off Shore".
This riveting account is a must-read for avid history enthusiasts seeking fresh perspectives on a relatively unknown chapter of America’s past, lovers of grand sagas that intertwine survival, politics, and conflict, and for anyone intrigued by the actual facts that debunk the feel-good myths we have come to associate with this era, and how these truths were instrumental in shaping the destiny of a nation.
Dive into the depths of history, unearthing the truth behind the legends
Do the words 'Mayflower' and 'Pilgrims' stir something within you? Do they paint a picture of brave settlers embarking on a perilous journey, seeking religious freedom? Or do they call to mind a darker narrative of destruction and displacement? The actual history is far richer, and it reaches far beyond the voyage across the Atlantic.
This tale weaves around the courageous, committed group of religious dissenters who twice ventured away from their homeland, seeking not just religious tolerance but also a place to foster their shared beliefs. It’s a story of determination and resilience as they navigate unfamiliar territory and integrate into a completely new society.
So buckle up and journey with us as we delve into the core events and characters that framed the foundation of a future nation. Let the truth unfurl as we traverse through the mist of myths and misconceptions.
Navigating through uncertain times
Can you imagine risking everything for a staunch belief, sailing across a mighty ocean with your family? This is precisely what 104 individuals, unified by a common faith, undertook in the Autumn of 1620, onboard the Mayflower. Their belief— which disdained the pomposity of religious hierarchy and spurned any pagan influences, like commemorating Christmas— drove them to seek a place where they could practice their radical form of religious conservatism freely. Such fierce separatists, they chose to abandon their home and the Church of England, rather than conform.
First, they left the serene pastures of England for the Dutch town of Leiden, which embraced their beliefs and fostered their tight-knit community. But they were confronted with an unexpected cultural assimilation— their children started becoming more Dutch than English.
This identity clash spurred them towards a daring solution: they would found a colony in North America where they could preserve their English culture and erect a virtuous community. The realization, however, proved a formidable endeavor. They needed a ship, provisions, and funding, all of which came at a hefty price.
The lifeline came from a cunning London merchant named Thomas Weston. Motivated by profits, he convinced a group of investors to back a new North American colony, which in return would provide a multitude of trade goods. He struck a stringent deal with the Pilgrims, providing scarce supplies and an antiquated ship, the Mayflower. This arrangement also brought non-Pilgrim passengers onboard, while many of the original Leiden community, including their pastor, opted out of the voyage.
The lengthy negotiations allowed seasons to slip away, and instead of setting sail in the warmth of the summer, they began their journey in the tempestuous fall. Arriving at their destination amidst a chilling winter with depleted food supplies was a grave prospect. Enduring relentless storms and near-starvation for two months, they battled adversities on their tumultuous voyage.
Captain Jones spotted land on November 6, 1620— a glimmer of hope amid despair. But, to their dismay, they were not at their destined Virginia but had drifted too far north, landing at Cape Cod, owing to the relentless gales. Stranded and on the brink of survival, the passengers and Captain crafted the Mayflower Compact— a mutual agreement that would frame the basis for their democratic settlement. This pioneering initiative on foreign shores set the stage for a promising future.
Braving the storm: a battle against odds
Landing on the unknown terrain of Massachusetts had its own set of challenges. Miles Standish, a soldier hired by the Pilgrims, led expeditions along the icy shoreline scouting for a suitable location to establish their new colony. As challenging as the conditions on the land were, the deteriorating conditions on the ship were even worse. The lethal duo of disease and starvation took a heavy toll on the passengers.
An eerie silence prevailed in this new land. Instead of bustling indigenous settlements, they found expanses of empty land. The reason? Apart from native tribes migrating inland during winters, a more devastating factor was at play. Between 1616 and 1619, the bubonic plague had decimated the native populations along the East Coast. Having no immunity to this disease introduced via European traders, they suffered colossal losses— estimates suggest between 70 and 90 percent. This calamity had destabilized tribal societies, creating a vacuum in leadership and laying down a chaotic political terrain for the Pilgrims to set foot on.
While exploring, the scouting parties stumbled upon stores of flint corn buried beneath the remnants of abandoned villages. They knew they were stealing, but the dire need for survival forced them to take the corn, vowing to repay the owners when possible. Spotting their first native inhabitants, the Pilgrims were taken aback when the natives fled in terror.
As the Pilgrims scavenged, hunted, and fished to keep hunger at bay, they were not the only ones grappling with a difficult past. The native Pokanoket tribe, who were their new neighbors in Plymouth, had also been hit hard by the plague and were now suppressed by their rivals, the Narragansett tribe. Their chief, Massasoit, had observed these English settlers. He noticed that these were families, with children, who seemed to be here for the long haul.
While Massasoit weighed the future of his tribe, the Pilgrims' plight escalated. The brutal New England winter claimed more than half of the original Mayflower passengers. The survivors knew they needed to fortify their defenses. Amidst these discussions on strengthening their military strategy, they noticed a lone native warrior observing them from a hilltop. Displaying remarkable confidence, he approached the heart of the Pilgrim settlement and welcomed them with the words, "Welcome, Englishmen." Caught off-guard, the Pilgrims could only stare in awe.
A legendary feast and the birth of Thanksgiving
Samoset, a towering figure from Maine's Monhegan Island, was the first to introduce himself to the Pilgrims. He had learned English from the frequent interactions with the English fishermen in his native region. He shared with the newcomers that their newfound home was once a populous village, which had been decimated by the plague. He introduced them to Massasoit, the chief of the Pokanoket tribe living about 40 miles to the south. Massasoit held a favorable disposition towards the new settlers, unlike others who were not so welcoming. For instance, the Nauset tribe held a grudge against the Pilgrims for pilfering their corn the previous year.
Throughout the harsh winter, Massasoit had observed the struggles of the English. He also paid heed to Squanto, a former native captive of the English, who advised against attacking the settlers. Squanto had spread tales that the English possessed barrels of the plague under their homes as a weapon. He spoke perfect English and used his linguistic prowess to influence tribal opinions about the English, which further cemented his position as an interpreter.
Given these circumstances, Massasoit made the bold decision to approach the English with diplomatic intentions and establish peaceful coexistence. With Squanto playing the intermediary, the English and the Pokanoket worked out an impressive agreement to live in harmony and extend mutual protection. Thus, Massasoit allied his tribe with the English, forming a defensive pact against mightier neighboring tribes.
Meanwhile, Squanto shared his knowledge of mound agriculture and cross-planting with the Pilgrims, which involved burying fish alongside the seeds of corn, beans, and squash in small dirt mounds. As the fish decomposed, they enriched the soil, promoting the growth of corn, which, in turn, supported the upward growth of beans and squash. This ingenious method brought a successful harvest, replacing the initial failures with English seeds, and the colony started to thrive.
However, threats from the Nauset and Narragansett tribes loomed large. Corbitant, a tribal chief from Mattapoisett, attempted to rally the Pokanoket against their leader and the English. The situation escalated when Corbitant's warriors kidnapped Massasoit and Squanto. In response, Miles Standish and his band of English soldiers retaliated ferociously. Word spread, prompting nine local tribal chiefs to journey to Plymouth Colony, pledging their allegiance to the English.
By Fall 1621, the Pilgrims had numerous reasons for jubilation — a bountiful harvest, thanks to Squanto's guidance, and tranquility with their neighbors. They planned a community meal, drawing inspiration from traditional English harvest festivals. This celebration evolved into a historic event when Massasoit and a hundred Pokanoket members brought five freshly hunted deer to the feast.
The wheels of evolution
Amid the prosperity of the settlement, a change was sweeping over New England. Shiploads of new settlers, dispatched by a London merchants' association, began pouring into Massachusetts. These newcomers, primarily secular young men, were a stark contrast to the pious Pilgrims, and their influence sparked a noticeable and unwelcome cultural shift in the colony.
Tensions escalated when word of a brutal native onslaught at Jamestown reached Plymouth. Miles Standish, in charge of the settlement's security, started advocating for a wooden fortification to protect the colony. Meanwhile, Squanto had been stirring the pot, spreading conflicting rumors among the native tribes and the English in a bid to consolidate his power. His claims of Pokanoket treachery against the English almost triggered an armed conflict.
Soon after, during a trading expedition with Plymouth’s governor William Bradford, Squanto was struck by a severe illness. His swift death came as a severe blow to Plymouth, which had lost its crucial interpreter, and suspicion fell on Sachem Corbitant as the orchestrator of Squanto's demise.
But when news of Massasoit's critical illness reached Plymouth, Governor Bradford sent Edward Winslow to extend medical aid. Winslow nurtured the ailing sachem and his community through what was likely a typhus outbreak, further cementing the bonds between the two groups. However, it also highlighted the Pokanoket’s growing dependence on the English.
The arrival of new waves of settlers in various corners of Massachusetts Bay around 1630 added more pressure. These immigrants brought with them livestock, leading to extensive land occupation. Unlike the god-fearing Pilgrims, these new colonists had no religious focus, and were fully self-reliant.
Under these evolving conditions, the natives could only bargain with their tribal lands in the new economy. The sale of their ancestral tracts accelerated the cultural transition in New England, veering significantly from the Pilgrims' original vision. From Connecticut to Maine, the colonists began to encroach upon native territories, applying ruthless force against any indigenous resistance.
Stormy horizons
As the dramatic transformation swept across New England, a parallel change was underway in England. If the Puritans had once split from the Church of England due to its excessive practices, the English Civil War saw Oliver Cromwell and his troops enforcing puritanism throughout England. No longer did they need to seek refuge in a foreign land to practice their faith — their homeland was now under puritan rule. This turn of events led many colonists to question the merits of their struggle to establish a new colony and many returned to England to participate in the conflict.
In 1646, Governor Winslow was sent to England on another diplomatic mission on behalf of the colonists and soon garnered the attention of Cromwell. His repeated delays in returning to the colony were seen as abandonment. Meanwhile, Miles Standish left Plymouth to set up another colony in Duxbury, where he passed away in 1656. With many of the initial colonists either back in England or elsewhere by 1650, the grand experiment of Plymouth was declared finished by many.
In the meantime, Massasoit had groomed his two sons, now bearing the English names of Alexander and Philip, to succeed him as the Pokanoket sachem. Although Massasoit encouraged them to respect their English allies, his sons remained skeptical.
In fact, Alexander continued to sell land to rival colonies from Rhode Island, directly contradicting Massasoit's agreement with the Plymouth colony. When Alexander evaded Plymouth justice for his offense, it was Josiah Winslow, Governor Winslow's son, who was given the task of apprehending him.
A violent encounter ensued, resulting in Alexander's death from unknown causes within a week. Rumors circulated that Josiah Winslow and his troops were responsible for his death. The irony of the situation was not lost — the elder Winslow had earned Massasoit's gratitude by aiding his people back in 1623, but 36 years later, Winslow's son stood accused of killing Massasoit's son.
Philip, seething with rage over his brother's death, gained a martyr for his cause. He rallied support from disgruntled sachems from Maine to Connecticut, recounting the tale of Alexander's death and fuelling native resentment to incite violence.
His efforts were successful. Yet, after 14 months of brutal guerrilla warfare, New England was left deeply traumatized, and the repercussions for Philip's tribe would be catastrophic.
Postlude: From Mayflower to Seaflower
In the grand tapestry of history, threads often become tangled and lost over time. As such, the second generation of Mayflower passengers bore little comprehension of the trials their forebears endured to establish the colony. Nor did they truly grasp the pivotal role that their indigenous neighbors played in their survival. In the decades that unfolded, the Massachusetts Bay colony, with its deep-water harbor and thriving trade port, seemed far better positioned than the Plymouth colony. The latter watched as tribal politics and internal strife snuffed out the lives of their closest native allies. By June 1675, when the first spark of conflict in what would become King Philip’s War ignited, this shared history was all but erased.
As bands of native warriors began attacking and burning settlement towns and villages, the colonists and English forces retaliated with swift and horrifying militaristic force. Indigenous people who surrendered were rounded up and deported to internment camps, where they endured unthinkable brutality. Philip, with his forces rapidly diminishing, fled to upstate New York. His plan was to align with the French to acquire ammunition, and with the ferocious Mohawk tribe to bolster his army. However, his plan crumbled when he tried to deceive the Mohawks, blaming an attack on a small band of their warriors on the English. The ruse was unveiled, and Philip met a disgraceful defeat.
The toll was immense. Of New England’s population of 70,000, more than 5,000 perished in the war — the lion's share being natives. In terms of percentage, this made King Philip’s War twice as devastating as the American Civil War and significantly bloodier than the Revolutionary War.
The traumatized colonists now wanted nothing more than the complete eradication of native peoples from New England. Thus, in 1676, 56 years after the Mayflower's voyage, another ship set sail — the Seaflower. Under the command of Josiah Winslow — the son of original Mayflower passenger and governor Edward Winslow, who had once compassionately nursed Massasoit and his people back to health — this vessel bore a dark cargo: 180 enslaved Native Americans bound for Caribbean plantations.
The Seaflower was just one of many ships to leave New England ports in 1676, all carrying enslaved natives. In a tragic twist of fate, the descendants of the Mayflower passengers were now selling the descendants of their indigenous allies into slavery.
Concluding thoughts
The Pilgrims embarked on their journey in the autumn of 1620, blind to the challenges and partnerships that lay ahead in a foreign land. Initially relying on their indigenous neighbors, a mere generation later witnessed a surge in conflicts and racism. The ensuing war, relentless and merciless, opened a new chapter of oppression and slavery for the natives, who were once the Pilgrims' allies.
