Monday, December 18, 2006

Pilgrams Land on Plymouth Rock



On this day in 1632 the Pilgrims landed. I've read the Philbrick book on the Mayflower story and it is wonderful. It starts at the beginning and ends with King Philips' War some 60 years later.

It tells the story from the first hard winter to the subsequent land deals with the Indians. The poor Pilgrims did not have the time to find the best harbor in the area. That meant that subsequent arrivals found Boston harbor. That area soon out-developed poor Plymouth and left them behind. By the time the Indians finally decided to defend their remaining holdings, Plymouth was just a small backwater town in Massachusetts.



It is ironic and dramatic that the book starts with the story of a ship bearing Pilgrims to America and ends with another ship sailing away from America bearing Indians into slavery.


Disclaimer: The fact that I will be compensated if you click on the link and buy the book turns this post into a semi-advertisement. I only will link to Amazon.com for books I actually liked.

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