i just finished reading “Mayflower” by Nathaniel Philbrick… i grabbed it at Target, because all-things-wonderful come from Target, and immediately cracked it open. i’ve never been real interested in history – and i guess that’s because of all the dry facts and dates and names that we had to memorize in school… but, as a sociology major, i’ve always been interested in the values and mindsets that create a people group.

“Mayflower” is a beautiful balance of fact and story – experience and information… Philbrick writes with the dates and names as the framework of an intense story of settlement.

its an historical account of the first 5o or so years of the Pilgrims’ experience on american soil… starting with their motivation to colonize, and ending with a long and bloody account of King Philip’s war, Philbrick tells a tale laden with facts and stories that are not a part of traditional american mythology.

here’s some things you gotta know:

• they wanted to establish a society where they were free to worship as they desired, but were incredibly intolerable of expressions of worship that did not fit their ideals.
• the pilgrims’ voyage over was an absolute nightmare. it was just awful. conditions were terrible. they were taken advantage of. and they are lucky they didn’t die…
• even though they settled near Plymouth Rock, they first stepped on american soil at the tip of Cape Cod (near modern Provincetown)…
• and about Plymouth Rock: it is also a beautiful american myth… the large rock was, in all probability, referring to a huge boulder-like structure that jutted up out of the top of a hill near the Plymouth area where they settled. which means the modern-day Plymouth Rock ain’t the real thing. (besides, drew and i have seen it – its pretty weenie. we weren’t impressed.)
• over half the pilgrims died within the first five months of living here. and the only reason they were able to settle was due to the fact that the vast majority of local natives were wiped out by a three-year plague just before the pilgrims “landed.” the few native american survivors fled the area, leaving homes in tact and bodies unburied.
• if it weren’t for the help of the native americans, the pilgrims would’ve starved to death.
• King Philip’s War was a long 14 month war covering much of New England. we don’t know much about this war, because there’s not much good about it… its an ugly blemish on the glorified history of our country.
• Squanto’s story isn’t nearly as pretty as we would like it to be.
• William Church was one of our heroes.

alright, that’s all i’m gonna give you.

now, for your homework: go find it. buy it. read it.

next on my list: “In The Devil’s Snare” by Mary Beth Norton… she writes about the Salem Witch Trials. yeah, i wanna get to the bottom of this next.