The Mayflower: communism, starvation, Miles Standish, and Pilgrim diplomacy

[cleller]

I ran across a book at a Tulsa library entitled Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick. I liked the cover, and it has turned out to be a good book.

For the first couple of years, the Plymouth colonists ran a communal garden, and were always short of food. They decided to allot each family its own plot to raise their own gardens. They immediately noticed a change in the way people worked the gardens. Much more work going on, and much better spirits. This practice also ended their food shortages.

About a year after the first pilgrims arrived, another group of settlers arrived. I believe they were all men, and mostly ne'er do-wells. They eventually established a settlement nearby, but were chronically starving, and stealing from the Indians. The Indians decided to attack these guys, but feared the pilgrims would support their fellow settlers, so they planned on attacking them, too.

Miles Standish, the pilgrims military adviser got wind of this, and went to the settlement of ne'er do-wells to see what should be done. While there, two of the main Indian instigators came by. Standish was a small man with a chip on his shoulder, and the Indians towered over him. One of the Indians was dramatically polishing an ornate knife and said to Standish: "You are a great captain, yet you are but a little man. Though I be no (chief) yet I am of great strength and courage."

Standish held his tongue, and later lured the Indians into a house for some roasted pork. Once inside, Standish snatched the knife from around the Indian's neck and stabbed him to death with it. Several other Indians were also killed, and soon the tribe made peace.
The pilgrims sent the ne'er do-wells packing for Maine.

Just thought the mindset of these early Americans might interest some. The Pilgrims were very conflicted about the war on the Indians, as they didn't want to help the loser settlers, but felt they had to act.

[XingTheRubicon]

It's often remarkable what can be accomplished when the alternative is starving.

[KantoSooner]

Fascinating time in our history. The Pilgrims were pretty much communists with a strong totalitarian bent. People were forbidden to leave the colony, for example or to change their religious habits. Later Puritans thought they were nut jobs. The indians were trying desperately to hang on as they had been reduced by between 90 and 95% by smallpox (probably passed to them by whaling and fishing ships that had traded but not stopped) and had massive problems with their own native neighbors to the West. It all finally fell apart in King Phillips' War 75 years later and that little party set the tone for genocidal conflict which ruled native/white relations for the next 200 years.
A look to the more purely commercial colonies in Rhode Island and Connecticut give indications of what colonization could have been without the ideological overlay.

Oh, and Miles Standish was a sociopath on the order of Chivington.

[cleller]

Another interesting factoid:
In 1642 a seventeen year old servant boy was convicted of having sexual relations with "a mare, a cow, two goats, five sheep, two calves and a turkey."

They executed the boy but not until he had witnessed the killing of his animal paramours, which were all buried in a pit.

[KABOOKIE]

So the Indians were racist?

[Jacie]

So the Indians were racist?

Show me a race of any people who aren't . . .

[East Coast Bias]

I visited Plymouth last year, went on the ghost and cementary tours. It was pretty amazing how they were able to build the towns, deal with the cold,disease,etc.Very high mortality rate. Apparently the Indians did their share of killing and struck fear into the hearts of the settlers.Interesting side note, the Plymouth rock is just a very small boulder. The town is an awesome place to spend a weekend.The tours are entertaining and the pumpkin beer is kick-*** in the fall....

[KABOOKIE]

Show me a race of any people who aren't . . .

Egg sack ary