The World of Plymouth Plantation

From the “Beginning”: Anglo-American Settler Colonialism in New England

“…As many have observed, Plymouth Colony occupies an iconic-one might almost say foundational-role in European American history. Despite the fact that it was established more than a decade (1607-1620) after Jamestown in Virginia, the Plymouth story has become a mythical "origin" narrative for the United States (Pestana 2020;Loewen 1995). The "Pilgrims'" (they never referred to themselves as such) quest for religious freedom, their creation of a governing document-the "Mayflower Compact"-that provided a basis for democracy, and the harmonious image of the "First Thanksgiving" were all promoted by later writers and woven into a myth that provides a much more virtuous beginning for the United States than the commercially oriented Jamestown experience (Loewen 1995;Dunbar-Ortiz 2014).…”

“…It is also a mistake to view Plymouth Colony as an isolated settlement of independent settlers. In addition to seeking religious freedom, Plymouth quickly became a trading post, as the fledgling settlement sought to establish outposts in Maine, Connecticut, and other places in Massachusetts to facilitate trade with indigenous groups, most notably in furs that could be used to pay off the colony's accumulated debt to its investors (Bradford 1948;Pestana 2020).And by the middle of the 17th century, the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies were engaged in well-established trade with various locations in the Caribbean (Pestana 2020;Kurlansky 1997). Thus, the New England colonies were quickly incorporated into the capitalist world economy (Wallerstein 1980) and corresponding networks of trade and political conflict.…”

“…All of these reflect the extension of English governance over indigenous populations. Perhaps the most significant interactions involved the active missionary work undertaken to convert members of the indigenous population to Christianity, a project that was undertaken by English settlers across much of New England (Pestana 2020). This was more than a manifestation of religious zeal.…”

“…Fortunately for Tisquantum, members of a religious order recognized him as "Native American," which under Spanish law meant that he could not be enslaved. Now free, Tisquantum found passage on a ship to England, then to Newfoundland, and eventually back to Massachusetts (Pestana 2020). According to Pratt (1844), the surnames of the first Eastham settlers were Prince, Doane, Bangs, Higgins, Snow, Smalley, and Cook.…”