1301.2a - Colonization of Massachusetts and Plymouth Colony

Summary

This video delves into the history of the Pilgrims, focusing on their motivations for leaving England, their establishment of Plymouth Colony, and their contributions to early American history. The Pilgrims, fleeing religious persecution, sought to create a religious community in the New World. The Mayflower Compact was a groundbreaking document of self-governance, though the Pilgrims were not as tolerant as they are often portrayed. The video also tackles misconceptions about Thanksgiving, revealing that it was neither the first harvest celebration nor unique in its cultural significance. It highlights the Pilgrims' impact and the myths that have shaped their legacy.

Takeaways

• 😀 The Pilgrims were separatists who sought to break away from the Church of England due to religious persecution.
• 😀 The Puritans were non-separatists who aimed to reform the Anglican Church and create a 'city on a hill' in the New World as a model of Puritan ideals.
• 😀 The Pilgrims initially attempted to escape to the Netherlands before settling in the New World, facing persecution for their religious beliefs.
• 😀 Despite fleeing religious persecution, the Pilgrims were intolerant of any deviation from their own religious views once they established their colony.
• 😀 The Mayflower Compact, created aboard the Mayflower, was one of the first expressions of self-government in the New World, outlining how the colony would be governed.
• 😀 The Pilgrims' Harvest Festival is often mythologized as the 'First Thanksgiving,' but it was not the first harvest celebration in the Americas, nor the first between Europeans and Native Americans.
• 😀 The Pilgrims' 'Thanksgiving' was a temporary period of peace, followed by renewed conflict with the Native American nations shortly thereafter.
• 😀 Artistic depictions of the Pilgrims' Thanksgiving often misrepresent the event, including inaccuracies such as the portrayal of Native Americans wearing War bonnets that were not historically accurate for the region.
• 😀 The Pilgrims named their colony Plymouth, following traditional English naming conventions based on places in England, like Sandwich and Yarmouth.
• 😀 Plymouth Rock, a popular tourist attraction, is incorrectly associated with the Pilgrims' landing site and has been heavily altered and vandalized over time.

Q & A

What motivated the Pilgrims to leave England?

The Pilgrims were motivated by religious persecution. They were separatists who wanted to break away from the Church of England, which was seen as a form of treason against the monarchy. Their goal was to establish a new religious community free from such persecution.

Why did the Pilgrims first attempt to settle in the Netherlands?

The Pilgrims initially sought refuge in the Netherlands to escape religious persecution in England. However, they were eventually expelled due to cultural differences and concerns about their children losing their English identity.

What was the role of the Puritans in early New England colonization?

The Puritans were a group of non-separatists who wanted to remain part of the Church of England but sought to reform it by removing Catholic practices. They aimed to establish a 'city on a hill,' a model society that would inspire religious reform back in England.

How did the Pilgrims' colony differ from the Puritans' colony?

The Pilgrims established a small and short-lived colony, the Plymouth Colony, which merged into the Massachusetts Bay Colony by 1691. The Puritans, on the other hand, created a more significant and lasting colony, the Massachusetts Bay Colony, which had a broader and more enduring impact on the region.

What was the significance of the Mayflower Compact?

The Mayflower Compact was an early document created by the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower. It was a crucial expression of self-government, outlining how the colony would be governed since they had no royal or corporate backing. This compact is considered one of the first formal steps towards self-rule in the New World.

Why is the Pilgrims' Thanksgiving often referred to as the 'First Thanksgiving' despite inaccuracies?

The Pilgrims' 1621 harvest celebration with Native Americans has been mythologized as the 'First Thanksgiving.' However, this term is misleading because many harvest celebrations occurred before, both in the Americas and other parts of the world. The event was a temporary moment of cooperation before tensions resumed between the settlers and the Native Americans.

How does the myth of the First Thanksgiving differ from historical reality?

The myth of the First Thanksgiving, popularized through art, presents the Pilgrims and Native Americans as harmonious participants in a unique celebration. In reality, it was a common harvest feast, and Native Americans wore inaccurate regalia, such as feathered war bonnets, which were not appropriate for the local tribes involved.

What was the Pilgrims' view on religious tolerance?

Despite fleeing religious persecution, the Pilgrims were not religiously tolerant. They were very strict about adhering to their own version of Protestantism and did not tolerate deviations from their religious views within their community.

What role did Plymouth Rock play in Pilgrim history?

Plymouth Rock is famously associated with the Pilgrims' arrival in the New World, though they did not actually land on the rock. Over time, it became a symbol of the Pilgrims' settlement, but the historical significance of the rock is largely mythologized, and its current state has been altered due to vandalism and tourism.

Why did the Pilgrims name their colony 'Plymouth'?

The Pilgrims named their colony Plymouth after the English port town from which they sailed. This was part of a broader pattern of English settlers naming their new colonies after places in England.