59 pages • 1 hour read
Nathaniel PhilbrickMayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2006A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Parts II-III, Chapters 9-10Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Parts II-III
Part II, Chapter 9 Summary: "A Ruffling Course"
Though Plymouth was developing and coming into its own by the winter of 1623, Wessagussett was still struggling. The Strangers at Plymouth realized that they needed to work with the Separatists for the greater good of the colony, whereas Wessagussett was filled with people who had no real connection or desire to work together. Though the Plymouth settlers had initially helped their compatriots, they settlers at Wessagussett were unable to fend for themselves, and even feared leaving their settlement, as they were deep in Massachusetts territory. The leader of the fledgling settlement, John Sanders, asked Bradford if it was alright for them to steal corn from the Massachusetts, something that the Pilgrims had done when they first arrived to ensure their survival. However, Bradford told Sanders not to steal as the Native American populations were already angry with the settlers. The situation at Wessagussett was so severe that settlers traded their own clothing for food, leaving themselves exposed to the elements. Some also agreed to be servants for the Massachusetts, while others left the settlement completely to live with the Massachusetts. The fort was visited often by Massachusetts warriors, who would taunt the settlers.
While John Sanders left to try and obtain food for Wessagussett, Miles Standish left for a trade mission to Manomet. He was sent to retrieve corn that Bradford had traded for previously. While talking with Manomet’s sachem, Canacum, two warriors from Massachusetts arrived and spoke with Canacum. One was Wituwamat, a fearsome warrior who was extremely haughty toward the English. After Wituwamat spoke with Canacum, it became clear to Standish that the Massachusetts warrior was being treated better than he was. Standish took offense, and though Canacum tried to remedy the slight, Standish left. Standish’s anger blinded him to the fact that the Native Americans were plotting against the settlers; this was the reason for Wituwamat’s arrival and Canacum’s delight at his news.
During Standish’s trip to Manomet, the Pilgrims learned that Massasoit was sick, and close to death. As Winslow had already had dealings with Massasoit, he was chosen as an emissary on Bradford’s behalf. He took a few other men, including Hobbamock, and headed to Pokanoket. While traveling to the village, the group received news that Massasoit had died. Hobbamock was greatly saddened, as Massasoit was his sachem. Though he wanted to return to Plymouth, others thought that the Pilgrims should go and pay their respects to Corbitant, who would replace Massasoit as sachem. When the Pilgrims arrived at Corbitant’s place, they were told he was not home, and that the news about Massasoit might be false. The Pilgrims sent word to Pokanoket and learned that Massasoit was still alive, but barely. They then resumed their original journey to the Pokanoket head village of Sowams.
Massasoit was still alive when Winslow and the other Pilgrims arrived. He was unable to see, however, and deathly ill. He had not eaten anything, but Winslow managed to give Massasoit sweetened fruit and the sachem began to show signs of improvement. His tongue was also swollen; Winslow cleaned it and fed him some more. Philbrick suggests that Massasoit’s symptoms indicate he was suffering from typhus. The disease may have come from a Dutch ship that had been wrecked near Sowams. As Massasoit began feeling better, he asked the Pilgrims to go through the village and help the afflicted, which they did grudgingly. When the Pilgrims thought it was time to leave, Massasoit took Hobbamock aside to speak with him.
Hobbamock told Winslow and the other Pilgrims that Massasoit had learned of a plot against the two forts. The Massachusetts were angry at Weston’s men at Wessagussett. Though they wanted to destroy the fort, they knew that Plymouth would defend Wessagussett. A plot was developed to attack both Plymouth and Wessagussett, thus getting rid of the English for good. Because the Massachusetts did not have enough warriors, they sought the help of other tribes in the region, many of whom agreed to aid in the attack. Massasoit had managed to find allies, and told Plymouth that the only way to save their settlement was to attack the Massachusetts first.
Winslow and the other Pilgrims hurried back to Plymouth to sound the alarm and determine their next steps. At the same time, a settler named Phineas Pratt from Wessagussett was traveling to Plymouth with dire news. He had learned from those settlers living with the Massachusetts that an attack on the forts was imminent. He knew Wessagussett did not stand a chance, and so snuck away without the Native American warriors seeing him. He got lost, however, and was afraid of being followed by Massachusetts warriors. He finally found his way to Plymouth, where he told John Hamden that Native American warriors were simply waiting for the snow to melt before attacking. Hamden informed Pratt that Plymouth knew of the attack and its leaders were deciding on a course of action.
The Pilgrims were unsure how to handle the news of an attack. They knew that Massasoit expected them to attack the Massachusetts. The issue was that they had yet to be threatened overtly. If the attack was gossip, could Massasoit have gotten it wrong? Also, could this be a convenient attack that solidified Massasoit’s power? Then again, if they did nothing they faced extinction. After deliberation, the Pilgrims decided to trust their friend. Standish was put in charge and given free reign. A group of men set out on the pretense of going on another trading excursion. The men went to Wessagussett and warned the settlers to flee. Some refused to leave as there were still settlers living with the Massachusetts. Others knew that they were near starvation and that their only recourse was to join with Weston. The Massachusetts warriors, including Wituwamat and Pecksuot, let the Pilgrims know that they were aware of their plans and were ready to fight. Though enraged by their taunting, Weston bided his time.
One day, the Massachusetts warriors were invited into a settler’s house on the pretense of sharing in the evening meal. When they began to eat, Standish ordered the doors closed and the warriors, three in total, were stabbed and killed. The English then set about killing as many Native Americans as they could find. Many of the men at Wessagussett left in the ship, the Swan and resettled elsewhere. Standish and the others returned to Plymouth with news of their success, and were greeted as heroes for their daring actions. Though the attack did help to ensure the safety of Plymouth, it also had unforeseen consequences. The attack was considered so brutal that many of the Native Americans in the region fled their homes and took to hiding, fearful that they might be attacked next by the Pilgrims. They then missed the routine time for planting and harvesting crops, meaning there was no food. This also led to more death and disease as the Native Americans hiding out were living in squalid conditions. The Pilgrims soon learned that their attack labeled them as ruthless “cutthroats” in the region, and left them with fewer allies and trading partners. Also, Massasoit had betrayed his fellow Native Americans. Though it took time for the Pilgrims to restore their ties, the vacuum of power meant that the Pokanokets became the most powerful group in the region.
Part III, Chapter 10 Summary: "One Small Candle"
Though Plymouth had been the most important English settlement for about ten years, that all changed in 1630. The Pilgrims witnessed seventeen English ships arrive in the New World, bringing with them over a thousand English settlers with diverse backgrounds. This arrival meant that the newcomers outnumbered the Pilgrims three to one. Moreover, the newcomers had other religious beliefs, leaving the Separatists once again in the minority. With their minister dead, the Pilgrims began questioning their purpose in the New World. While the Separatists worried about the dilution of their religious beliefs, many of the original Strangers were leaving Plymouth due to the sever religiosity of the settlement. These individuals left for Virginia, or went back to England. Philbrick notes that with newer, nicer settlements cropping up, Plymouth became something of a backwater.
Among the obstacles the Pilgrims contended with as a result of the new wave of settlers was a man named Thomas Morton. Morton was famous for creating Merrymount, a hedonistic settlement that symbolized all the vices the Pilgrims had tried to escape in England. Morton also befriended the Native Americans and allowed them to participate in pagan festivities with him and his followers. The Pilgrims thought it in their best interest to arrest Morton and punish him. Morton took offense, and questioned the brutality of the Pilgrims, which he saw as beginning with their well-known attack on the Massachusetts years earlier. Others in the area also felt that the Pilgrims were violent, ironic in that the Pilgrims fled England because they themselves were being persecuted by a violent and intolerant government.
One of the ways that the Pilgrims dug themselves out of meager subsistence was the result of a revolutionary act by Bradford in 1623. Bradford let each household plant its own plots, instead of relying on a communal plot. This ensured that people worked even harder than before, as their existence depended on their crop. The Pilgrims also had livestock, including chickens, and they bought horses and cows, which they were able to sell to newcomers. Though Plymouth’s inhabitants were no longer starving, they were never able to make a real profit from the settlement. In 1626, the Merchant Adventurers disbanded, and the surviving Strangers assumed the debt of the colony. The Pilgrims were able to establish trading posts in the region, and with the use of wampum (shell beads used in trade), they were able to make a profit. Plymouth was finally free of debt in 1648.
The Pokanokets also struggled with survival in the face of changing times. Though they had become the most powerful people in the region after the events at Wessagussett, Massasoit was still viewed as a traitor by some Native Americans. Disease such as smallpox and influenza also continued to ravage Native American communities; there were outbreaks of both in 1634. Massasoit was also attacked by the Narragansetts, who were jealous of his influence and trade with the Pilgrims. Massasoit was captured, but the Pilgrims came to his aid. After the ordeal, he changed his name to Usamequin, meaning Yellow Feather. Massasoit continued to trade with the English, but when trade ran dry, the English simply went elsewhere to acquire what they needed. When the Pokanokets found themselves without anything to trade, they began selling their land.
The concept of selling land began innocently enough. Massasoit had even gifted Patuxet (the land the Pilgrims settled on) to the Pilgrims. With the possibility of buying land, the English saw that they could have more of this fertile resource. The 1630s ushered in a new understanding of land ownership in America. The Pilgrims wanted all land sales to be approved by courts, with documents ensuring the purchase was valid. In this way, not just anyone could buy land from Native Americans. Native Americans had no concept of land ownership as it applied to deeds and titles. Sachems handed out land as they saw fit. With the introduction of a court system—which Massasoit agreed to—the Pilgrims effectively cut Native Americans out of the process. This meant that Massasoit could not sell his land to the highest bidder. He could only sell it to the Pilgrims for what they offered, and then they could sell it, as they pleased, for much higher prices.
With violence and persecution increasing in England toward nonconformists, a large influx of settlers hit the New World. The arrival of about twenty-one thousand Puritans reshaped New England. Plymouth was outnumbered on all sides, and Bradford was forced to rethink the governing structure of the settlement as he watched old friends leave, either to start new settlements or return to England. By the 1630s, a General Court was established in each colony.
The year 1630 also brought the first murder trial to Plymouth. It came about when the ever-cantankerous John Billington fought with his neighbor, John Newcomen. Billington shot Newcomen, but since he thought himself essential to the colony, which needed manpower, he expected to be pardoned. However, Bradford consulted with John Winthrop, the governor of Massachusetts Bay, and decided to execute Billington to make an example of him. It was during this same year that Thomas Morton established Merrymount. The Puritans in Massachusetts Bay arrested Morton and burned his house down. Philbrick notes how strict both Winthrop and Bradford were on those who dissented, with the two also persecuting the Quakers who would arrive later.
The Pilgrims traded with Winthrop’s settlement, finding financial success in selling cows, horses and other items. Puritan settlements continued to grow, however, and there was tension between the two groups. Philbrick notes that there is a matter of “timing” when it comes to defining what it is to be a Pilgrim or a Puritan. To put it simply, the Pilgrims arrived before the Puritans. Both groups fled persecution, and both groups wanted to distinguish their beliefs from those of the Church of England. Their similarities were not enough to always keep them on good terms with each other, however; the Puritans were very ambitious, which was one thing the Pilgrims did not consider themselves to be. They wanted their land and their right to worship; they were not interested in expansion. The Puritans were, however, which led to constant conflicts with Native Americans. A notable blow to Native-English relations came when the Puritans attacked a Pequot fortress and killed over four hundred men, women and children. Before this, only warriors had been killed in conflicts with the Nativ3e Americans.
Parts II-III, Chapters 9-10 Analysis
The establishment of Wessagussett led to the unraveling of relations between settlers and Native Americans in the region. The settlement could not thrive as Plymouth had, and the settlers there were so impoverished that they took to selling their clothes and indenturing themselves to the Massachusetts for food and shelter. Their actions also infuriated the Massachusetts, who hatched a plan to wipe the settlement out. However, the Massachusetts knew that Plymouth would assist the settlement, and so it was decided to “kill two birds with one stone” by attacking the Pilgrims as well.
Massasoit showed his allegiance by warning the Pilgrims of this plot. The Pilgrims effectively prevented the attack, and killed its instigators. This bloodshed, with included the killing of innocent people, sent shockwaves throughout the region. The Pilgrims were now seen as cutthroats, which hindered their opportunities for trade. It also caused Native American groups to flee their lands and neglect farming, which led to death and starvation. The Pokanokets also suffered from this “success,” in that they had taken sides with the Pilgrims.
Plymouth saw itself left behind, however, with the arrival of Puritans who were fleeing religious persecution in England. Philbrick notes how similar the two groups were, aside from the fact that the Pilgrims arrived earlier than the Puritans. The Pilgrims also kept to themselves, whereas the Puritans expanded their territory and were not as strict in their religious beliefs as the Pilgrims. Bradford was faced with the departure of many of his friends, some of whom started other settlements, while the region became richer and Plymouth’s status dwindled. These chapters highlight how Plymouth’s growth, and the growth of the region, inadvertently led to conflict with the Native American populations who were slowly being pushed off their own land by greed and necessity.
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By Nathaniel Philbrick
