Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War

• Author: Major Doug J. Choi
• Pages: 09

2007] BOOK REVIEWS 189

MAYFLOWER: A STORY OF COURAGE, COMMUNITY, AND WAR1

REVIEWED BY MAJOR DOUG J. CHOI2

The First Thanksgiving is an image of peace, cooperation, and friendship between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. In Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War, Nathaniel Philbrick3 takes us beyond this popular image. The relationship between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans did not develop out of friendly curiosity or acts of kindness. Instead, it was motivated by self interest and a desire for power. Philbrick gives us a detailed look at the Pilgrims' history and shows us how diplomacy played into their success.

Mayflower tells the story of the Pilgrims from their escape from England through the end of King Philip's War. It opens with a description of the transatlantic voyage and follows the lives of those who were aboard. Mayflower, however, does not end with the events that surround the ship. Instead, it continues to tell the story of the next generation of Pilgrims who seemingly distanced themselves from the purpose for which the Mayflower set sail.

Courage, community, and war are the themes that Philbrick uses to identify the Pilgrims during their first fifty-six years in New England. Philbrick transitions from one theme to the next in chronological order. In the first half of the book, Philbrick provides us with images of the Pilgrims' courage as they struggle to survive over sea and land. The death toll during the first year was catastrophic. The Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth in the fall of 1620 and quickly faced the difficulties of winter.4

"By the spring, 52 of the 102 who had originally arrived at Provincetown were dead."5

From this struggle arose a successful permanent settlement. The increase in the English population, however, significantly changed the dynamics of the Pilgrims' relationship with the Native Americans. When they first arrived at Plymouth, the Pilgrims were able to survive because the Native Americans "had come to the Pilgrims' rescue."6

However, as the English population began to grow, the Native Americans were seen as an obstacle toward their expansion.7 The Native American response was an attempt to regain what was once theirs, and this eventually led to King Philip's War.

As Philbrick takes us through their history, he highlights both the Pilgrims' successes and their failures. Philbrick attributes their successes to the Pilgrims' diplomatic efforts and their willingness to work with others. The Pilgrims were Separatists, and their purpose in sailing to America was to establish a religious community isolated from government interference.8 However, they displayed an attitude that was far from isolationist.

The Pilgrims were not alone aboard the Mayflower. Although they may have been a majority, many of those aboard were non-Separatists.9

The Pilgrims referred to them as "Strangers,"10 and their purpose for embarking on that same voyage was very different. For the Strangers, their goal was to establish a settlement that would be financially profitable.11 Despite these differences in their purposes, the Pilgrims and the Strangers understood that their mutual successes depended on their ability to work together.12 Even before they set foot on land, the men aboard the ship signed the Mayflower Compact which created a single government that unified the Pilgrims and the Strangers.13

Philbrick believes that the Mayflower Compact was a response to the mutinous attitude displayed by some of the Strangers when they arrived at Plymouth.14 They had secured a patent that only authorized a

settlement in Virginia. Settling at Plymouth might cause a complete financial loss.15 Philbrick praises the Mayflower Compact as "a remarkable act of coolheaded and pragmatic resolve."16 He argues that the Pilgrims...