Questions from Mayflower

1. Since the Pilgrims were from England, they had some "modern" technology at their disposal (muskets, etc.) as well as a military leader (Miles Standish). These traits helped them survive through some of the harsh events of the New World, such as Indian attacks. However, these tools later hindered them when the Native Americans upgraded from bows and arrows to flintlock muskets (which were more advanced then the Pilgrims' matchlocks). Furthermore, much of the experience that they had was in tailoring and shoemaking rather than in establishing settlements, making it exceptionally difficult to make a permanent home in the New World.

3. Many of the stories of the Pilgrim settlers have been changed overtime (such as the story of the first thanksgiving). Many reasons exist for why America has changed the story to be misleading. One such reason is that as time goes on, many distortions from the original meaning get added into the story and is then passed down to further generations. Furthermore, Americans would attempt to make the story more "kid-friendly" for their children, distorting the original story.

4. King Philip's War occurred between the Native Americans in the region and the New Englanders. The tradition of peaceful coexistence with the Native Americans fell apart mainly due to the New Englander's pursuit of economic prosperity at the expense of the Indians and due to their ignorance of the agreement to help one another through their hard times. One way this conflict could have been avoided would be by giving assistance to the Native Americans and honoring the treaty which was ignored.

5. Squanto was the interpreter for the New Englander's when they arrived to the New World. It was through him that the Native American sachem Massasoit communicated through. Squanto, therefore, had a strength in that he could influence the position between the Native Americans and the New Englanders. Using this strength, he could put a plan into action to make himself powerful, as shown by the false raid on Nemasket.

6. Much of the life that the Pilgrims had was very religious, and they continued that tradition in the New World. However, as time went on, the next generation of Pilgrims became more conscience of material possessions rather than the spiritual life. This was against the traditions set forth by the first settlers and was, therefore, looked down upon.

8. In modern culture, many native americans are portrayed as vicious savages that wear feathers and loincloths and that use bows and arrows. However, the Mayflower shows them to be trusted allies of the Pilgrims with more modern technology than bows and arrows. While this difference appears true for many cultural representations (i.e. Hollywood movies), there are some other, more accurate portrayals of the Native Americans in the stories of the first Thanksgiving.

9. There are several very important people in King Philip's War. One person, however, stands out as being a turning point in the war. This person is known as Benjamin Church. He made an army of both Native American and English troops, which was different since all Native Americans were outcasts or in slavery during the war. Using their techniques, Church and his men moved across enemy territory, taking many Native Americans by surprise, and captured Philip, ending the war.

10. Many tribes of Native Americans existed in the area, from the Pokanokets to the Narragansetts. In King Philip's War, a common misperception was that the Native Americans started off as a unified whole in their cultural identity. Rather, there were many cultural beliefs that are different among the various tribes. Therefore, unifying the various tribes under one flag and keeping it that way would be a major political and cultural undertaking. Even then, the line connecting each tribe would be a fragile line that could be broken easily.

11. Many Native Americans sided with the English during the war. My personal view on the matter is that the Native Americans joining the English may have a variety of reasons for joining against other tribes, whether it be because of treachery, opportunity, sensibility, or a combination of them. However, if considering my position, I would most likely join the Native Americans in the fight against the English due to sensibility (Larger numbers and better technology).

12. During the war, both sides made very immoral decisions, such as torturing victims, killing and decapitating prisoners, and, in the case of the English, selling other prisoners into slavery. Therefore, neither side can make any claim to being morally superior over the other. This is because neither side had any reason to do what they were doing to each other.

15. Philbrick focuses heavily on moral issues throughout the book. A moral lesson that can be learned from this story is not to use others' suffering to become more successful as they may retaliate in a very surprising way. This is shown by how the English got economic success by buying land and selling goods at the Native Americans' expense, which is one of the reasons which started the war.