Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War

The relationship between the Pilgrims and Native Americans, most notably the Pokanokets, was one born of necessity, rather than mutual trust. Massasoit, the leader of the Pokanokets, kept an eye on the Pilgrims as they struggled to survive upon arrival. He was persuaded by Squanto, who had plans of his own, to befriend the Pilgrims for the benefit of his people. Squanto astutely reasoned that the Pokanokets could boost their standing in the region and become a force to be reckoned with by becoming allies of the English. This move ensured that the Pokanokets, who had once been the greatest force in the region, could once again compete with their rivals, the Narragansetts.

The relationship between the two sides worked so well because both needed the other for survival. Initially, the Pilgrims leaned on the Pokanokets heavily. Massasoit ensured that his people taught the Pilgrims how to plant crops and survive the harsh climate. The two groups shared the first Thanksgiving together, relying heavily on the food supplies of the Pokanokets. They also signed treaties to ensure they would respect each other’s property and come to each other’s aid if attacked. In this way, Massasoit not only outplayed the Narragansetts, he angered other Native Americans in the region for siding with the English.

The relationship between the Native tribes and the English began to deteriorate when the second generation of Pilgrims came of age. These individuals did not uphold the same religious practices of their forefathers; a lapse to which William Bradford attributed the settlers’ growing trouble with Native Americans. The newer generation also felt that their relationship with the Pokanokets and other Native tribes was hindering their prosperity in the New World. The anger and dissatisfaction of the Native Americans—caused in large part by the behavior of the English—led to increased fear and prejudice among the settlers. This, in turn, prompted rash decisions, such as taking weapons from Philip (Massasoit’s son) and humiliating him, that contributed to the outbreak of King Philip’s War. Ultimately, the English did little to prove that their hearts were in the right place. They neglected diplomacy and often acted crudely or rashly when dealing with Native Americans.

Prejudice was an underlying reason for the breakup of good relations between the Pilgrims and the Pokanokets. The Pilgrims envied Native American land, and often thought that, if no one was living on it, they could claim it. Pilgrims thought they could make much better use of the land than the Native people could, and they wanted to turn a profit. Land was an enviable resource and struggles for ownership of it fanned the fires of prejudice and hate. Pilgrims also perceived Native Americans as untrustworthy. This prejudice intensified during King Philip’s War to the point that peaceful Native Americans were killed or sold into slavery. The English also thought of themselves as superior and, several times, underestimated their enemy when going into battle. Ultimately, the Pilgrims in Plymouth thought themselves morally right, even though they were squeezing the Pokanokets and other tribes off their land, often through deception. This “morality” was echoed by other colonies, creating an unspoken consensus that the English and the English only knew what was best for New England.