Status
Available
Publication
New York : Viking, 2006.
Description
From the perilous ocean crossing to the shared bounty of the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrim settlement of New England has become enshrined as our most sacred national myth. Yet, as author Philbrick reveals, the true story of the Pilgrims is much more than the well-known tale of piety and sacrifice; it is a 55-year epic. The Mayflower's religious refugees arrived in Plymouth Harbor during a period of crisis for Native Americans, as disease spread by European fishermen devastated their populations. Initially the two groups maintained a fragile working relationship. But within decades, New England erupted into King Philip's War, a savage conflict that nearly wiped out colonists and natives alike, and forever altered the face of the fledgling colonies and the country that would grow from them. Philbrick has fashioned a fresh portrait of the dawn of American history--dominated right from the start by issues of race, violence, and religion.--From publisher description.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member k8_not_kate
If you're looking for an approachable, interesting, popular history of Plymouth Colony, this is it. Having said that, I can't recommend Mayflower without acknowledging a few things about it I didn't like. One issue is that the book shouldn't have been titled "Mayflower;" it should have been
The more irritating issue is Philbrick's susceptibility to melodramatic writing, especially towards the end of the book. There's nothing that bugs me more than coming across sentences in history books that sound more like the narration from a History Channel special. Sure, it's a popular history, but it's still a book and not a Hollywood historical drama.
To end on a positive note, Philbrick's treatment of the relationship between the colonists and the Native Americans in New England was thoughtful and balanced, and he did tell a fascinating story. I would definitely suggest this book for a quick and enjoyable read on the history of Plymouth Colony.
Show More
something along the lines of "Plymouth Colony from The Landing of the Mayflower Through King Philip's War." It seems clear that Philbrick started researching the famous crossing of The Mayflower and got interested enough in King Philip's War to devote half of his book to it. That's fine by me--I knew nothing about King Philip's War and was happy to read Philbrick's treatment of it. Still, I was less interested in this portion of the story and think that the perhaps more eye-catching "Mayflower" title is a tad misleading. Fortunately, Philbrick does a competent job of tying the two parts of the book together.The more irritating issue is Philbrick's susceptibility to melodramatic writing, especially towards the end of the book. There's nothing that bugs me more than coming across sentences in history books that sound more like the narration from a History Channel special. Sure, it's a popular history, but it's still a book and not a Hollywood historical drama.
To end on a positive note, Philbrick's treatment of the relationship between the colonists and the Native Americans in New England was thoughtful and balanced, and he did tell a fascinating story. I would definitely suggest this book for a quick and enjoyable read on the history of Plymouth Colony.
Show Less
LibraryThing member PhyllisHarrison
A great book for hearing the story of the beginnings of New England. It's an easy read and explodes a lot of the popular myths, doing a good job of explaining why the terms "Pilgrim" and "Puritan" are not interchangeable. It also explains that not everyone on the ship shared the religious
That said, it is not really about the Mayflower though, and covers history from England through the second generation of colonists in New England with much of the book being about King Philip's War. The different colonists are not well delineated but the casual reader may not care what the differences were between the Bradfords and Winslows of both the first and the second generations. I felt that the contrast between Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth Bay could have been a little clearer although Philbrick does go into it in a little detail. The book seems to end abruptly with Metacom's death and only a brief reference is made to the bloody battles that continued in that area for at least a century afterwards. A paragraph tying it together might have satisfied me a little more. The notes in the back of the book were as interesting as the book itself and it's too bad more of the information wasn't included in the main body of the work. I found it interesting that Nathaniel Philbrick did not make a connection between (Ch 3 notes) Wampanoag or Wapanoos "means 'easterner' in Delaware", and Wabanki or Alnobak, meaning "dawnland people" when he put so much effort into describing the ongoing intrigues and battles of the major factions. It was also difficult to distinguish what was fact and what was just colorful writing on his part. I like to read both fiction and non-fiction but I like to know which is which while I'm reading.
I'd recommend this book to anyone as a starting point for understanding our American beginnnings.
Show More
sentiments of the Pilgrims.That said, it is not really about the Mayflower though, and covers history from England through the second generation of colonists in New England with much of the book being about King Philip's War. The different colonists are not well delineated but the casual reader may not care what the differences were between the Bradfords and Winslows of both the first and the second generations. I felt that the contrast between Massachusetts Bay and Plymouth Bay could have been a little clearer although Philbrick does go into it in a little detail. The book seems to end abruptly with Metacom's death and only a brief reference is made to the bloody battles that continued in that area for at least a century afterwards. A paragraph tying it together might have satisfied me a little more. The notes in the back of the book were as interesting as the book itself and it's too bad more of the information wasn't included in the main body of the work. I found it interesting that Nathaniel Philbrick did not make a connection between (Ch 3 notes) Wampanoag or Wapanoos "means 'easterner' in Delaware", and Wabanki or Alnobak, meaning "dawnland people" when he put so much effort into describing the ongoing intrigues and battles of the major factions. It was also difficult to distinguish what was fact and what was just colorful writing on his part. I like to read both fiction and non-fiction but I like to know which is which while I'm reading.
I'd recommend this book to anyone as a starting point for understanding our American beginnnings.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Bookmarque
After two books I have become a Philbrick devotee. I have his newest on deck and another on order. The way he strings events together, keeping tension and anticipation tight while imparting tons of information is spellbinding. Even during the third part of this book which was about King Philip's
The story of the first English colonists to wash up in New England has become a myth stripped of most of its reality. We have visions of dour Pilgrims in tall hats and shoes with buckles, seated at a deal table breaking bread with smiling, stoic Indians. It’s so ingrained that it requires some effort to come to grips with the reality. Here’s some things I learned -
The Pilgrims and later the Puritans were a bunch of intolerant, bloodthirsty assholes. Both sets of “christians” came to exercise their right to worship how they wanted, but neither could allow anyone else this right. Instead the both try to stamp out the other and anyone who dares to disagree; like the Indians and non-religious settlers. The Indians were appalled at the slaughter the English got up to when in battle. Normally an Indian battle was a show of force and bravado; only a few warriors were killed and never the elderly, women or children. Neither did they rape their female captives, something we know Europeans have long been enthusiasts. Eventually though, the Indians got the hang of wholesale slaughter and got pretty good at it.
Miles Standish wasn’t much more than a thug. A convenient bludgeon wielded by the Pilgrims who didn’t deign to carry out the violence they needed to keep the Indians down themselves. Instead however much they claimed to disapprove of Standish, they let him do their dirty work; inciting fights where there weren’t any or exacerbating disagreements until it escalated into bloodshed. Also he was a short guy who had to cut 6 inches off his regulation sword lest it drag on the ground. Funny.
Both the Indians and the English manipulated each other and exploited factions and divisions to further their own ends. In the case of King Philip’s War it started because the English would impose their laws on people who already had laws. Two Indians killed another and the English put them on trial and executed them. Things like that kept happening and almost against his will King Philip (aka Metacomet, sachem of the Pokanoket tribe) went to war to keep the English from taking more advantage. Because the English quickly decided all Indians were hostile and evil, a lot of other tribes got sucked into the conflict when they would rather have been neutral. Eventually the English realized that using some Indians against others was an advantage and the tribal divisions were used against them.
When the war was winding down and over, many hundreds of inconvenient Indians were sold into slavery, ending up at brutal sugar plantations in the Caribbean.
The Wampanoag tribe didn’t exist before the English colonists. It came about to bond several tribes together in the face of the English presence. Massasoit, sachem of the Pokanokets and King Philip’s father was instrumental in creating the new tribe.
We have an idea of Indians living harmoniously the the land and showing the backward colonists how to flourish in the harsh New England climate. Truth is most of them were living hand to mouth and went hungry a lot of the time. There was a visit from the Plymouth leaders to Massasoit’s village and there was no food. None for the people that lived there and none for the guests. For two days and nights the visitors ate nothing and neither did the villagers. This happened a lot and not just to one tribe.
There was no direct representative of the English crown or government until the 1690s when James II sent someone. No oversight. No governor. Nothing. Basically the settlers were sponsored by groups of merchants and were expected to pay them back in the form of goods, but they created their own laws and government, unlike Virginia and other colonies in the south. It shed a new light on why the New England colonists got so mad about the English crown once a bunch of them started to poke their noses into things.
Oh and a big Duh to me. If I’d been taught who King Philip was, I’d evidently forgotten (somehow I think I never knew), and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out which king it was. I never heard of an English King Philip. Maybe he was French or Dutch or something. But no, he was an Indian who changed his name. I didn’t know it was a common practice in Massachusetts at the time. And I wish more of the Indian place names were still in use, even though there are a lot of them that still are. Having been born in New England and lived there for 40+ years, I really liked returning to all those lovely words. Is Massachusetts the only state named for an Indian tribe? I’ll have to google.
Show More
War, I was held fast and I normally skim a lot of war scenes in books. The story of the first English colonists to wash up in New England has become a myth stripped of most of its reality. We have visions of dour Pilgrims in tall hats and shoes with buckles, seated at a deal table breaking bread with smiling, stoic Indians. It’s so ingrained that it requires some effort to come to grips with the reality. Here’s some things I learned -
The Pilgrims and later the Puritans were a bunch of intolerant, bloodthirsty assholes. Both sets of “christians” came to exercise their right to worship how they wanted, but neither could allow anyone else this right. Instead the both try to stamp out the other and anyone who dares to disagree; like the Indians and non-religious settlers. The Indians were appalled at the slaughter the English got up to when in battle. Normally an Indian battle was a show of force and bravado; only a few warriors were killed and never the elderly, women or children. Neither did they rape their female captives, something we know Europeans have long been enthusiasts. Eventually though, the Indians got the hang of wholesale slaughter and got pretty good at it.
Miles Standish wasn’t much more than a thug. A convenient bludgeon wielded by the Pilgrims who didn’t deign to carry out the violence they needed to keep the Indians down themselves. Instead however much they claimed to disapprove of Standish, they let him do their dirty work; inciting fights where there weren’t any or exacerbating disagreements until it escalated into bloodshed. Also he was a short guy who had to cut 6 inches off his regulation sword lest it drag on the ground. Funny.
Both the Indians and the English manipulated each other and exploited factions and divisions to further their own ends. In the case of King Philip’s War it started because the English would impose their laws on people who already had laws. Two Indians killed another and the English put them on trial and executed them. Things like that kept happening and almost against his will King Philip (aka Metacomet, sachem of the Pokanoket tribe) went to war to keep the English from taking more advantage. Because the English quickly decided all Indians were hostile and evil, a lot of other tribes got sucked into the conflict when they would rather have been neutral. Eventually the English realized that using some Indians against others was an advantage and the tribal divisions were used against them.
When the war was winding down and over, many hundreds of inconvenient Indians were sold into slavery, ending up at brutal sugar plantations in the Caribbean.
The Wampanoag tribe didn’t exist before the English colonists. It came about to bond several tribes together in the face of the English presence. Massasoit, sachem of the Pokanokets and King Philip’s father was instrumental in creating the new tribe.
We have an idea of Indians living harmoniously the the land and showing the backward colonists how to flourish in the harsh New England climate. Truth is most of them were living hand to mouth and went hungry a lot of the time. There was a visit from the Plymouth leaders to Massasoit’s village and there was no food. None for the people that lived there and none for the guests. For two days and nights the visitors ate nothing and neither did the villagers. This happened a lot and not just to one tribe.
There was no direct representative of the English crown or government until the 1690s when James II sent someone. No oversight. No governor. Nothing. Basically the settlers were sponsored by groups of merchants and were expected to pay them back in the form of goods, but they created their own laws and government, unlike Virginia and other colonies in the south. It shed a new light on why the New England colonists got so mad about the English crown once a bunch of them started to poke their noses into things.
Oh and a big Duh to me. If I’d been taught who King Philip was, I’d evidently forgotten (somehow I think I never knew), and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out which king it was. I never heard of an English King Philip. Maybe he was French or Dutch or something. But no, he was an Indian who changed his name. I didn’t know it was a common practice in Massachusetts at the time. And I wish more of the Indian place names were still in use, even though there are a lot of them that still are. Having been born in New England and lived there for 40+ years, I really liked returning to all those lovely words. Is Massachusetts the only state named for an Indian tribe? I’ll have to google.
Show Less
LibraryThing member kgodey
I’m continuing on my quest to read more about world history this year, since I enjoyed India After Gandhi and A World At Arms so much last year. I bought a couple of books about American history – since I didn’t grow up here, I don’t know a lot of basic history that people learn about in
Mayflower is well-written and well-researched, but it isn’t the definitive history of the Mayflower voyage that I was hoping it would be. The first third of the book talks about the Pilgrims and their preparations for the voyage, the voyage itself, and the first year of their life in the colonies. This was the most fascinating part of the book. It covers things like why the Pilgrims chose to settle at the site of Plymouth, how their first contact with the Native Americans went (not well), what they did to survive (steal corn, for example), what they planned and how their plans went awry, how they finally established good relationships with the Native Americans, and things like that. Unfortunately this level of detail stops right after the “First Thanksgiving”, and the book skips ahead about fifty years to the story of how Native-British relations soured and led to King Philip’s War.
The rest of the book is a history of King Philip’s War, which was interesting as well since I didn’t know anything about that time period, but I find socio-political and economic histories much more interesting than histories of war, so I was a little let down. The author mentions that in the intervening time, New England was settled much more extensively and infrastructure developed (for example, a judicial system), but doesn’t go into any of the interesting details – how the governments were formed, how the settlers spread outside Plymoth, what kind of political relationships they had with the new settlers, how they managed to become self-sufficient and developed trade relationships – none of that is explored.
Instead, Philbrick goes into a thorough history of the war – the various battles, the actions of the Native American leaders (with special attention paid to the infamous King Philip), and the troop movements of the British settlers. There are some interesting tidbits in there (I found the formation of Rhode Island interesting, for example), but the focus is definitely on war. I was a little bored by all the details. Philbrick compares the devastation of the war to the Civil War and World War II in terms of the percentage of population killed, but the fact remains that most of the battles involved a dozen to a hundred men. There were a few bigger battles, and it’s clear that the impact on the Native American population was significant, but with most of the sources available to reconstruct what happened being on the British side, it makes the telling very one-sided.
I think this is a book still worth reading, but I wish it had been called King Philip’s War instead of Mayflower – but the lack of name recognition means it probably wouldn’t have done so well.
Show More
school. I decided to start with Mayflower because the Pilgrims and their story are so embedded in the cultural consciousness of America, but I really don’t know much about what actually happened.Mayflower is well-written and well-researched, but it isn’t the definitive history of the Mayflower voyage that I was hoping it would be. The first third of the book talks about the Pilgrims and their preparations for the voyage, the voyage itself, and the first year of their life in the colonies. This was the most fascinating part of the book. It covers things like why the Pilgrims chose to settle at the site of Plymouth, how their first contact with the Native Americans went (not well), what they did to survive (steal corn, for example), what they planned and how their plans went awry, how they finally established good relationships with the Native Americans, and things like that. Unfortunately this level of detail stops right after the “First Thanksgiving”, and the book skips ahead about fifty years to the story of how Native-British relations soured and led to King Philip’s War.
The rest of the book is a history of King Philip’s War, which was interesting as well since I didn’t know anything about that time period, but I find socio-political and economic histories much more interesting than histories of war, so I was a little let down. The author mentions that in the intervening time, New England was settled much more extensively and infrastructure developed (for example, a judicial system), but doesn’t go into any of the interesting details – how the governments were formed, how the settlers spread outside Plymoth, what kind of political relationships they had with the new settlers, how they managed to become self-sufficient and developed trade relationships – none of that is explored.
Instead, Philbrick goes into a thorough history of the war – the various battles, the actions of the Native American leaders (with special attention paid to the infamous King Philip), and the troop movements of the British settlers. There are some interesting tidbits in there (I found the formation of Rhode Island interesting, for example), but the focus is definitely on war. I was a little bored by all the details. Philbrick compares the devastation of the war to the Civil War and World War II in terms of the percentage of population killed, but the fact remains that most of the battles involved a dozen to a hundred men. There were a few bigger battles, and it’s clear that the impact on the Native American population was significant, but with most of the sources available to reconstruct what happened being on the British side, it makes the telling very one-sided.
I think this is a book still worth reading, but I wish it had been called King Philip’s War instead of Mayflower – but the lack of name recognition means it probably wouldn’t have done so well.
Show Less
LibraryThing member marshapetry
Excellent engaging book about the Mayflower settlers. This book pretty much wipes out all the fairy tales of the Mayflower and the "Rock" and all the standard tales we're told as kids... but the truth is far more interesting. The book is long, and maybe not every section is riveting, but overall is
Show More
an awesome book. I think the true story of the Mayflower is as interesting a history as it gets. Show Less
LibraryThing member Stbalbach
Philbrick is at his best with character and sustained narrative events ie. a singular story. His best book is In the Heart of the Sea for that reason it lends itself well to his strengths. In Mayflower we also get this for the first half of the book - the Pilgrims journey and settlement at
Show More
Plymouth. The first weeks are enthralling as they explore their way around the Cape, I followed them with Google Maps. At some point the narrative speeds up and fragments, then we are into the second half mostly about King Phillip's War a few generations later. The war itself is told through highlights of battles. There is some mythology debunking, like Thanksgiving. And we learn it is estimated 10% of the US can trace a line to the Mayflower. The Indians seem fairly portrayed, though a sad story. The epidemics that preceded settlement are the main tragedy, played out in North and South America at scale and beyond comprehension, as the worst things are. I never realized how important the city of Leiden is to American history. Great introduction to a vital part of early American history. Show Less
LibraryThing member JEB5
This is a compelling rendering of the "pilgrims" passage to Plymouth, their struggle to survive and plant new roots and their progeny's experiences with the natives. So much has been left out of history classes and it was wonderful to have a chance to read the facts. Philbrick does an impecible job
Show More
of transforming history into an exciting tale of struggle, hope, faith, and compromise while never leaving out the emotions of the players and forefathers of America. Show Less
LibraryThing member JBD1
Having very much enjoyed Nathaniel Philbrick's earlier works, I awaited quite impatiently the release of his newest book, Mayflower. I secured a copy of it recently and shunted it to the top of my "to-be-read" pile (don't even ask how big that pile is ...), and have just finished reading it. It's a
Mayflower does a good job describing the Pilgrims' transatlantic journey and the harrowing first years of their settlement at Plymouth; every time I read a new description of that period, I grow more and more mystified at how the group survived at all. As Philbrick makes clear, that survival depended in no small part on the reaching of an understanding with the local natives, most notably the Pokanoket sachem Massasoit.
The second half of the book concerns the rapid expansion of English settlements during the decades following the arrival of the Mayflower, and the tensions that began to develop between the second generation of settlers and their native neighbors. Those tensions erupted into a cataclysmic war in the mid-1670s, resulting in massive losses of life and property on both sides, but which was particularly disastrous to the Indian tribes in the long run. It would have been quite easy for Philbrick to have lost his narrative in the complex warren of dates, names, and places, but he manages to hold his story-line together very neatly.
There are some problems with the sources Philbrick uses for his two focal characters (Plymouth governor William Bradford and later military leader Benjamin Church), as Jill Lepore points out in her excellent New Yorker review of Mayflower. Lepore, whose book The Name of War is an excellent account of King Philip's War, knows her stuff, and her criticisms of Philbrick are valid. It is unfortunate that Philbrick chose to rely so much on Church's 1716 book (published and probably written largely by his son) to reach his conclusions - this decision mars what would otherwise be an even better book.
Philbrick eschews footnotes, a practice which I normally find frustrating and annoying. He compensates (at least in part) by providing rich bibliographic essays for each chapter, which are important additions to the narrative and should not be missed. While certain elements of Philbrick's conclusion are overdrawn and may in fact be inappropriate, his overall account of New England's settlement and the war that nearly destroyed it are certainly worth reading.
Show More
very readable, decent account of the first sixty years of Massachusetts history, encompassing not only the settlements of Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay, but also the horrific conflict that erupted in 1675 between the English colonists and their Indian neighbors (which has come to be known as King Philip's War).Mayflower does a good job describing the Pilgrims' transatlantic journey and the harrowing first years of their settlement at Plymouth; every time I read a new description of that period, I grow more and more mystified at how the group survived at all. As Philbrick makes clear, that survival depended in no small part on the reaching of an understanding with the local natives, most notably the Pokanoket sachem Massasoit.
The second half of the book concerns the rapid expansion of English settlements during the decades following the arrival of the Mayflower, and the tensions that began to develop between the second generation of settlers and their native neighbors. Those tensions erupted into a cataclysmic war in the mid-1670s, resulting in massive losses of life and property on both sides, but which was particularly disastrous to the Indian tribes in the long run. It would have been quite easy for Philbrick to have lost his narrative in the complex warren of dates, names, and places, but he manages to hold his story-line together very neatly.
There are some problems with the sources Philbrick uses for his two focal characters (Plymouth governor William Bradford and later military leader Benjamin Church), as Jill Lepore points out in her excellent New Yorker review of Mayflower. Lepore, whose book The Name of War is an excellent account of King Philip's War, knows her stuff, and her criticisms of Philbrick are valid. It is unfortunate that Philbrick chose to rely so much on Church's 1716 book (published and probably written largely by his son) to reach his conclusions - this decision mars what would otherwise be an even better book.
Philbrick eschews footnotes, a practice which I normally find frustrating and annoying. He compensates (at least in part) by providing rich bibliographic essays for each chapter, which are important additions to the narrative and should not be missed. While certain elements of Philbrick's conclusion are overdrawn and may in fact be inappropriate, his overall account of New England's settlement and the war that nearly destroyed it are certainly worth reading.
Show Less
LibraryThing member CBJames
Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick is not your father's Thanksgiving. Mr. Philbrick's ambitions are large and the scope of his book is wide. He begins with the Pilgrim's roots, back in England, follows their story to America and through the lives of their children and grandchildren some 50 years
Fans of Mr. Philbrick's earlier book In the Heart of the Sea will find much to enjoy in the first section of Mayflower. We learn the inner workings of 17th century trans-Atlantic travel in detail. We all know this part of the story, how hard the journey to America was and how the pilgrims and the sailors formed the Mayflower Compact to guide their settlement. Mr. Philbrick tells this part of the story well, but the book really picks up speed once the Mayflower gets to America and leaves the Pilgrims there.
Mayflower has been called a revisionist history, which seems to now mean that it puts in what other history texts have left out. The details Mr. Philbrick includes are fascinating: Miles Standish was so short he was known as Captain Shrimp, behind his back. He actually had to cut the tips off of his rapier so it would not drag on the ground when he wore it on his belt. The first words an Indian spoke to the Pilgrims were "Welcome Englishmen!" Squanto, who spoke fluent English after living in Europe for many years, became the main interpreter for the local sachem, tribal leader, out of an ambition for power. The Pilgrims did have turkey at the first Thanksgiving, but they'd already had it back in England since once they were imported to Europe domestic turkeys became widely popular there.
But Mr. Philbrick's real interest is in the Plymouth colony's second generation. King Philip's War and the events that led up to it, illustrate the deteriorating relationship between the colonists and the native population that would haverepercussions throughout the history of the United States.
Much of this part of Mayflower is focused on Benjamin Church, grandson of Richard Warren one of the passengers on the Mayflower. Benjamin Church became one of the central leaders of the English in the war against the Natives of New England which was started by King Phililp, the sachem or leader of the Pokanoket Indians who had been the saviours of the Pilgrims under the previous sachem Massasoit. For almost 50 years the English and the Native Americans has existed side by side in a difficult but peaceful relationship. However, the children of the first settlers did not think they needed the help of the Natives to survive and badly wanted to expand into their lands. A series of injustices, culminating in the execution of three innocent Indians who'd been charged with murder, led to the outbreak of war. Native Americans from throughout New England joined King Philip in his attacks on English settlements. Benjamin Church argued that the English should maintain as many friendly relationship with Indian tribes as they could. He argued that few Indians wanted to join with King Philip and that most could be convinced to fight alongside the English.
During the first half of King Philip's war, few English would listen to Church; even peaceful Indians with longstanding ties to English settlers were attacked and driven from their homes if not killed or captured and sold into slavery. King Philip was not a good leader and, though he won a few significant battles, he was soon on the run from the English and from Benjamin Church. Eventually, the English agreed to let friendly Indians fight alongside them, which made it possible for them to finally defeat and kill King Philip. The English had won the war, but lost any hope of maintaining a peaceful coexistence with the Native Americans who'd lost some 60% of their population to battle or to slavery in the West Indies.
What struck me in reading this section of Mayflower was that the divisions among the Native American population is what made it possible for the English to succeed. Massasoit and Squanto both were engaged in a power struggle with other tribes that led them to see the English as potential allies. This was a strong motivating factor in the help they gave the early Pilgrims. These tribal conflicts continued into the time of King Philip and Benjamin Church. Had King Philip been able to unite the tribes in an alliance against the English, the Native Americans may have been able to drive them from New England or at least keep them confined to the settlements they already had. American history would have been dramatically different in any case.
That the English were cruel to the Indians during wartime, that they used their justice system against them, came as no surprise to me. The time period is just prior to the Enlightenment age, Europe was a violent place, there was little that the Pilgrims did to the Indians that was not done to every defeated population in Europe at the time. What did surprise me was that they sold captured Native Americans into slavery. This included women and young children and was done for the expressed purpose of removing the Indian population from New England.
It is compelling to speculate about what might had been. If a few incidents had gone a different way, if this person had risen to leadership instead of that person, who knows what might have happened. What is clear from reading Mayflower is that the path of Manifest Destiny that led to the removal of the great majority of Native American people from their homelands was not the only option available when the English first arrived in what became the United States.
Mayflower is a compelling read that you may find hard to put down and it raises many interesting points and questions that will leave you thinking. I'm giving Mayflower by Natianiel Philbrik five out of five stars.
Show More
after the founding of the Plymouth colony. His ambition is to tell the story of how this group went from a close, symbiotic relationship with the Native Americans to an all out war that devastated both populations.Fans of Mr. Philbrick's earlier book In the Heart of the Sea will find much to enjoy in the first section of Mayflower. We learn the inner workings of 17th century trans-Atlantic travel in detail. We all know this part of the story, how hard the journey to America was and how the pilgrims and the sailors formed the Mayflower Compact to guide their settlement. Mr. Philbrick tells this part of the story well, but the book really picks up speed once the Mayflower gets to America and leaves the Pilgrims there.
Mayflower has been called a revisionist history, which seems to now mean that it puts in what other history texts have left out. The details Mr. Philbrick includes are fascinating: Miles Standish was so short he was known as Captain Shrimp, behind his back. He actually had to cut the tips off of his rapier so it would not drag on the ground when he wore it on his belt. The first words an Indian spoke to the Pilgrims were "Welcome Englishmen!" Squanto, who spoke fluent English after living in Europe for many years, became the main interpreter for the local sachem, tribal leader, out of an ambition for power. The Pilgrims did have turkey at the first Thanksgiving, but they'd already had it back in England since once they were imported to Europe domestic turkeys became widely popular there.
But Mr. Philbrick's real interest is in the Plymouth colony's second generation. King Philip's War and the events that led up to it, illustrate the deteriorating relationship between the colonists and the native population that would haverepercussions throughout the history of the United States.
Much of this part of Mayflower is focused on Benjamin Church, grandson of Richard Warren one of the passengers on the Mayflower. Benjamin Church became one of the central leaders of the English in the war against the Natives of New England which was started by King Phililp, the sachem or leader of the Pokanoket Indians who had been the saviours of the Pilgrims under the previous sachem Massasoit. For almost 50 years the English and the Native Americans has existed side by side in a difficult but peaceful relationship. However, the children of the first settlers did not think they needed the help of the Natives to survive and badly wanted to expand into their lands. A series of injustices, culminating in the execution of three innocent Indians who'd been charged with murder, led to the outbreak of war. Native Americans from throughout New England joined King Philip in his attacks on English settlements. Benjamin Church argued that the English should maintain as many friendly relationship with Indian tribes as they could. He argued that few Indians wanted to join with King Philip and that most could be convinced to fight alongside the English.
During the first half of King Philip's war, few English would listen to Church; even peaceful Indians with longstanding ties to English settlers were attacked and driven from their homes if not killed or captured and sold into slavery. King Philip was not a good leader and, though he won a few significant battles, he was soon on the run from the English and from Benjamin Church. Eventually, the English agreed to let friendly Indians fight alongside them, which made it possible for them to finally defeat and kill King Philip. The English had won the war, but lost any hope of maintaining a peaceful coexistence with the Native Americans who'd lost some 60% of their population to battle or to slavery in the West Indies.
What struck me in reading this section of Mayflower was that the divisions among the Native American population is what made it possible for the English to succeed. Massasoit and Squanto both were engaged in a power struggle with other tribes that led them to see the English as potential allies. This was a strong motivating factor in the help they gave the early Pilgrims. These tribal conflicts continued into the time of King Philip and Benjamin Church. Had King Philip been able to unite the tribes in an alliance against the English, the Native Americans may have been able to drive them from New England or at least keep them confined to the settlements they already had. American history would have been dramatically different in any case.
That the English were cruel to the Indians during wartime, that they used their justice system against them, came as no surprise to me. The time period is just prior to the Enlightenment age, Europe was a violent place, there was little that the Pilgrims did to the Indians that was not done to every defeated population in Europe at the time. What did surprise me was that they sold captured Native Americans into slavery. This included women and young children and was done for the expressed purpose of removing the Indian population from New England.
It is compelling to speculate about what might had been. If a few incidents had gone a different way, if this person had risen to leadership instead of that person, who knows what might have happened. What is clear from reading Mayflower is that the path of Manifest Destiny that led to the removal of the great majority of Native American people from their homelands was not the only option available when the English first arrived in what became the United States.
Mayflower is a compelling read that you may find hard to put down and it raises many interesting points and questions that will leave you thinking. I'm giving Mayflower by Natianiel Philbrik five out of five stars.
Show Less
LibraryThing member Talbin
Nathanial Philbrick's Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community and War describes the Pilgrim's first 60 years in America. Philbrick has written an easily accessible history for the general population, and weaves in stories of the Pilgrims, Puritans and Native Americans throughout this tumultuous
While the book is named after the Mayflower, the majority of the book centers around King Phillip's War. Personally, I would have preferred less description of war and battles and more stories about everyday life, but overall the book was quite enjoyable. I also appreciated Philbrick's prose style. Although the book contains lots of dates and names, Philbrick tells it as a story, and as such I found it much more entertaining than most histories I've attempted to read.
Show More
period of history.While the book is named after the Mayflower, the majority of the book centers around King Phillip's War. Personally, I would have preferred less description of war and battles and more stories about everyday life, but overall the book was quite enjoyable. I also appreciated Philbrick's prose style. Although the book contains lots of dates and names, Philbrick tells it as a story, and as such I found it much more entertaining than most histories I've attempted to read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member briandrewz
Two words: absolutely fascinating. Forget everything you learned in the history books of elementary school. Forget about the Pilgrims and the Indians sitting down together at that long table and feasting off of nature's bounty. Forget about those Indians who took pity on and helped the Pilgrims
Show More
through their first harsh winter. Nathaniel Philbrick tells us the story as it was, often violent and harsh in its telling. This book grabs you from the beginning and holds on until it comes to an end after King Philip's War. Any student of history should get a hold of this book and keep it among the treasured books in their collecion. Show Less
LibraryThing member vguy
Story of Puritan idealism turning pretty soon to petty theft and grave desecration, moving on to unprovoked aggression and finally to near genocide. What remains unclear is why the Mayflower and its consequences remains so significant in US history and how it balances with the story of Jamestown
Show More
and the South. Comes across as a sad byway of history. "Mayflower" is a misleading title, as the crossing is only the start. Once it gets going on King Philip's War, it becomes more complex and hard to follow, with many tribes and leaders, turncoats and betrayals, whose names are all new, at least to me. The only thread is the increasing venality and viciousness of the settlers. Interesting how many died in the early stages among the whites, how many of the natives were already dead of imported disease and, quite surprising, how many of the natives descendants are still there today despite all the horrors. Show Less
LibraryThing member BookListener
I had always wondered how we moved so quickly from the first Thanksgiving feast to the French and Indian wars. This book fills in this gap beautifully. It shows how the diseases spread by the first European fishermen devastated the eastern seaboard and thereby cleared away land that the pilgrims
Show More
claimed. The book goes on to detail how later rising population pressures led to increased conflict and eventually war. I found the book to be easy to follow and quite entertaining. Show Less
LibraryThing member barriesegall
Used as a springboard for a project on the Pilgrims. Took a year before I got bored and moved on. Very easy read and footnotes conducive to research.
LibraryThing member sharlene_w
Sometimes a difficult, boring read, but I was motivated because I am a descendant of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins Alden. I enjoyed the gathering of information.
LibraryThing member dshreve
Very good read on something that really happened in which we only learned a portion about in grade school. Kudo's to those who came before us and kept their cool! It gives me encouragement.
LibraryThing member rayette
I learned alot about the region I live in, and the first half of the book was quite compelling. The second half was slow going at times, but ultimately a very worthwhile read about a period in history that is very poorly taught and understood.
LibraryThing member theageofsilt
An outstanding account focusing on the tumultous period following the Pilgrims' arrival in the New World. I think Philbrick could easily follow this work with a further exploration of the ideas presented at the end of the book -- how societies choose the stories of their origins.
LibraryThing member nakmeister
Genre: Popular History
Pages: 358 + 150 pages of notes, bibliography etc.
'Mayflower' is an account of the Pilgrim Fathers' journey to America, and the story of the first 60 years of the Plymouth colony (and as time goes by, other colonies too). The book starts somewhere before their journey to the
As well as challenging the creation myth surrounding the Pilgrim Fathers, the book's main theme is the rocky, ever-changing relationship between the colonists and the Native Americans. The author does this very well, portraying the complexities of the interaction between the two cultures and showing us that nothing about it is black or white but instead myriad shades of grey.
This is one of the first popular history books that I've read, and I was very impressed. Nathaniel Philbrick has given the book a novel-like quality, gripping and easy to read without compromising history. The author's main objective has been to tell a story, a true story, as faithful to the actual events as he can be. While occasionally quoting or describing bits from primary sources (such as the book by William Bradford, Plymouth's first leader) he never gets bogged down in the detail. For anyone who wants to read more about a particular part, the massive notes section and bibliography at the back is available.
The final third of the book relating to King Philip's War was perhaps a bit too long for me, but for man people I imagine this part could be what they like the most so I can't really fault it!
Overall, this was a great book. I urge anyone with an interest in early American History, or anyone who just wants to read a gripping true story, to read this book.
Pages: 358 + 150 pages of notes, bibliography etc.
'Mayflower' is an account of the Pilgrim Fathers' journey to America, and the story of the first 60 years of the Plymouth colony (and as time goes by, other colonies too). The book starts somewhere before their journey to the
Show More
New World begins, explaining the circumstances and background of their decision to leave England, and indeed Europe, behind. The author then spends a chapter or so describing the voyage. The book really starts to get going when they land in the New World, and recounts the colonists difficult first couple of years there. Along the way, the book describes many of the people who had an impact on the new colony. As the years pass, the author goes into less detail, but you still get a good picture of the early development of the New England colonies. The final third of the book tells the reader about King Philip's War: a violent, bloody conflict with the Native Americans in 1675-1676.As well as challenging the creation myth surrounding the Pilgrim Fathers, the book's main theme is the rocky, ever-changing relationship between the colonists and the Native Americans. The author does this very well, portraying the complexities of the interaction between the two cultures and showing us that nothing about it is black or white but instead myriad shades of grey.
This is one of the first popular history books that I've read, and I was very impressed. Nathaniel Philbrick has given the book a novel-like quality, gripping and easy to read without compromising history. The author's main objective has been to tell a story, a true story, as faithful to the actual events as he can be. While occasionally quoting or describing bits from primary sources (such as the book by William Bradford, Plymouth's first leader) he never gets bogged down in the detail. For anyone who wants to read more about a particular part, the massive notes section and bibliography at the back is available.
The final third of the book relating to King Philip's War was perhaps a bit too long for me, but for man people I imagine this part could be what they like the most so I can't really fault it!
Overall, this was a great book. I urge anyone with an interest in early American History, or anyone who just wants to read a gripping true story, to read this book.
Show Less
LibraryThing member brianinbuffalo
I can't quite grasp why this work has received such glowing reviews in the national press. Perhaps I'm just not into colonial history, but I found Philbrick's work only mildly more engaging than the history texts that I left behind in school a few decades ago. Granted, he does set the record
Show More
straight when it comes to some key historical milestones like the first Thanksgiving. Still, I found the work to be somehat tedious. Show Less
LibraryThing member CritEER
- I had never heard of heroic deeds of Benjamin Church and I found his character remarkable. BC was the most outstanding and interesting character in this very good book. BC is why I prefer reading non-fiction because his story is better than any novel
- Nathaniel Philbrick states there is a huge
- The history and impact of King's Phillip War was the highlight of the book specifically the dynamics/relationship between the Indianans and Colonists and the vast human destruction on both sides
- The epilog of the book provided me with a strong desire to visit Plimoth Rock, the Mayflower Replica and the re-creation of the Plimoth settlement
- Nathaniel Philbrick states there is a huge
Show More
gap in U.S. history from the 1st Thanksgiving to the first shots of the revolutionary war. This is approximately 150 years of critical U.S. history. Thankfully this book fills that gap- The history and impact of King's Phillip War was the highlight of the book specifically the dynamics/relationship between the Indianans and Colonists and the vast human destruction on both sides
- The epilog of the book provided me with a strong desire to visit Plimoth Rock, the Mayflower Replica and the re-creation of the Plimoth settlement
Show Less
LibraryThing member bonneyandrews
I listened to this in audio form. It is a fantastic book covering a little know phase of American history, the settlement of New England from 1620 to 1679, through the end of King Phillip's war. The emphasis is on the Plymouth Plantation and the relationship of the settlers to the Indians. The
Show More
title is misleading. It is really about Plymouth Plantation, not the Mayflower. It is a very thoughtful book and a good companion to 1491. Plus it is extremely will written and very entertaining with many details from the lives of individuals. Show Less
LibraryThing member cabegley
First off, let me say that I hate the title of this book. The Mayflower returns to England on page 101 and is never heard from again. Plymouth would have been a much more appropriate name for the book. That said, I don’t have much more to quibble with over Philbrick’s fascinating history of the
In Philbrick’s history, neither the Europeans nor the natives were painted as all good or all bad. Philbrick traces the origins of this early American settlement from the departure of the Pilgrims from Leiden, Holland, in 1620; through their initial exploration and settlement in Massachusetts; their treaties, early disputes, and agreements with the natives (in particular with Wampanoag leader Massasoit); their acquisition of land from the natives and their increasingly contentious relationships with them; and finally into their war with Massasoit’s son, King Philip, and the rest of the area natives. Throughout, Philbrick highlights the points at which poor judgment, by Europeans and natives alike, worsens relationships between the parties and leads to an avoidable, catastrophic war.
Near the end of his book, Philbrick points out that most Americans think of American history as the first Thanksgiving and the American Revolution, with nothing in the 150 years between. I think that’s a fair statement, and I appreciated learning about some of the “between” history.
Show More
Pilgrims and early-Anglo New England history.In Philbrick’s history, neither the Europeans nor the natives were painted as all good or all bad. Philbrick traces the origins of this early American settlement from the departure of the Pilgrims from Leiden, Holland, in 1620; through their initial exploration and settlement in Massachusetts; their treaties, early disputes, and agreements with the natives (in particular with Wampanoag leader Massasoit); their acquisition of land from the natives and their increasingly contentious relationships with them; and finally into their war with Massasoit’s son, King Philip, and the rest of the area natives. Throughout, Philbrick highlights the points at which poor judgment, by Europeans and natives alike, worsens relationships between the parties and leads to an avoidable, catastrophic war.
Near the end of his book, Philbrick points out that most Americans think of American history as the first Thanksgiving and the American Revolution, with nothing in the 150 years between. I think that’s a fair statement, and I appreciated learning about some of the “between” history.
Show Less
LibraryThing member cathyskye
After reading In the Heart of the Sea and Sea of Glory, I've become a fan of
Philbrick's history books. He brings what he's writing about to life. In
Mayflower, Philbrick examines the history of Plymouth Colony. In the early
17th century, a small group of devout English Christians fled their
to escape persecution, going first to Holland, then making a 10-week voyage
to the New World. Rather than arriving in the summer months as planned, they
landed in November, low on supplies. Luckily they were met by the Wampanoag
Indians and their chief, Massasoit, who saved the colony from certain
destruction. For over fifty years, the Wampanoags and the Pilgrims lived in
peace, becoming increasingly interdependent. I almost fell out of my chair
when I read that the Pilgrims paid the Wampanoags for grain stores they had
broken into and also for the land they needed as the colony expanded.
But...in 1675, 56 years after the colonists' landing, Massasoit's heir,
Philip, launched a war on the English that, over 14 months, claimed 5,000
lives--a huge percentage of both colonists and Indians in the area.
Philbrick once again does a marvelous job. he sets the story straight on the
First Thanksgiving, and people like Miles Standish come to life. Personally,
I learned for the first time about Benjamin Church, and for me, he was the
most interesting character in the book (outside of the group of landlocked
pirates who decided to stay on dry soil and fight Indians). The first and
last thirds of the book were fascinating and well-paced. The middle third
dragged a bit, but more because the second generation of Pilgrims were
stodgy and forgetful than because of Philbrick's writing. That second
generation, who so conveniently forgot what their parents had to go through
in order to survive, is the one that caused all the trouble and King
Philip's War.
Philbrick's history books. He brings what he's writing about to life. In
Mayflower, Philbrick examines the history of Plymouth Colony. In the early
17th century, a small group of devout English Christians fled their
Show More
villagesto escape persecution, going first to Holland, then making a 10-week voyage
to the New World. Rather than arriving in the summer months as planned, they
landed in November, low on supplies. Luckily they were met by the Wampanoag
Indians and their chief, Massasoit, who saved the colony from certain
destruction. For over fifty years, the Wampanoags and the Pilgrims lived in
peace, becoming increasingly interdependent. I almost fell out of my chair
when I read that the Pilgrims paid the Wampanoags for grain stores they had
broken into and also for the land they needed as the colony expanded.
But...in 1675, 56 years after the colonists' landing, Massasoit's heir,
Philip, launched a war on the English that, over 14 months, claimed 5,000
lives--a huge percentage of both colonists and Indians in the area.
Philbrick once again does a marvelous job. he sets the story straight on the
First Thanksgiving, and people like Miles Standish come to life. Personally,
I learned for the first time about Benjamin Church, and for me, he was the
most interesting character in the book (outside of the group of landlocked
pirates who decided to stay on dry soil and fight Indians). The first and
last thirds of the book were fascinating and well-paced. The middle third
dragged a bit, but more because the second generation of Pilgrims were
stodgy and forgetful than because of Philbrick's writing. That second
generation, who so conveniently forgot what their parents had to go through
in order to survive, is the one that caused all the trouble and King
Philip's War.
Show Less
LibraryThing member NielsenGW
Philbrick’s account of the voyage of the Mayflower is awe-inspiring. This is, by far, the most scholarly research into the famous Thanksgiving tale. Combining diary accounts, business records, and archaeological findings, he weaves a tale that is worthy of modern cinema. And best of all, he
Show More
achieves this high mark without the use of cliches or judgment. A necessary read for any lover of American history. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
Pulitzer Prize (Finalist — History — 2007)
LA Times Book Prize (Finalist — History — 2006)
Indies Choice Book Award (Honor Book — Adult Nonfiction — 2007)
Massachusetts Book Award (Must-Read (Longlist) — Nonfiction — 2007)
Publishers Weekly's Best Books of the Year (Nonfiction — 2006)
Booklist Editor's Choice: Adult Books (History — 2006)
The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Nonfiction — 2006)
San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year (Nonfiction — 2006)
Christian Science Monitor Best Book (Nonfiction — 2006)
Notable Books List (Nonfiction — 2007)
Language
Similar in this library
Undaunted courage : Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the opening of the American West by Stephen E. Ambrose
The destiny of the republic : a tale of medicine, madness and the murder of a president by Candice Millard
Nothing like it in the world : the men who built the transcontinental railroad, 1863-1869 by Stephen E. Ambrose