Jody – Grand Sachem of Peace

Massasoit (also known as Woosamequin, Oosamequin, Ousamequin) was a Native American who was born somewhere between 1580 and 1582 in Montaup, a Pokanoket village at the site of today’s Warren and Bristol, Rhode Island. He was born into the Wampanoag tribe of the Algonquin peoples in southern New England. Wampanoag means “eastern people”. His village residence was near an abundant spring of water that still bears his name today. The Wampanoag were a horticultural people who supplemented their agriculture with hunting and fishing. Their villages were concentrated near the Atlantic coast during the summer. During the winter the Wampanoag moved inland and separated into winter hunting camps of extended families. The Wampanoag were organized as a confederacy with lesser sachems and sagamores under the authority of a Grand Sachem.

In 1600 the Wampanoag had as many as 12,000 members with 40 villages divided between 8,000 on the mainland and 4,000 on the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.  Three epidemics that were brought over by English fishermen swept across New England between 1614 and 1620 and were especially devastating to the Wampanoag. Mortality in many villages reached 100 percent. By late 1620, fewer than 2,000 Wampanoag had survived. The island Wampanoag had been protected somewhat by their isolation from the mainland and still had 3,000 remaining members. Massasoit was the current Grand Sachem of the Wampanoag Federation with the allegiance of seven lesser Wampanoag sachems when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth. The Native Americans were aware of the Pilgrims when they landed but chose initially to avoid contact.

In March of 1621, an Abenaki sachem from Maine named Samoset was hunting in Massachusetts when he entered the site of the deserted Wampanoag village of Patuxet only to find the Pilgrims there. He exclaimed in English, which he had learned from English fishermen, – “Welcome Englishmen!” He announced that he was the envoy of Massasoit, “the greatest commander of the country”. Samoset found the Pilgrims in poor shape. They were huddled in crude shelters- cold and sick and slowly starving to death. Samoset spent the night and left in the morning. He returned soon after with another fellow tribesman by the name of Squanto. Squanto had an even better command of the English language and by a strange coincidence had grown up in the village of Patuxet. He was the only survivor of an epidemic that had struck his village while he was away. Squanto decided that the Pilgrims were now his people. With great kindness and patience, Squanto taught the Pilgrims the skills they needed to survive in their new colony.

Samoset and Squanto both served as intermediaries between the Pilgrims and Massasoit. The previous ten years had been hard on the Wampanoag. Between the devastation of illness and the northern war parties sweeping down upon them in their weakened state, Massasoit was concerned for his people. The Narragansett, in particular, had suffered relatively little from the epidemics because of their isolated villages on the islands of Narragansett Bay and they had emerged as the most powerful tribe in the area. Massasoit hoped his tribe and the Pilgrims could benefit each other in their struggles. Owing to past grievances, some Wampanoag wanted to drive the English from New England. But Massasoit pursued the path of peace because he understood that revenge would never yield the allies they needed. He believed that a peace treaty would extend the hand of friendship to the Pilgrims. The leaders of the Pilgrims understood that cooperation with the Wampanoag was the only way they were going to survive as well. Both sides sought a limited and fair treaty with enforceable terms. They agreed to honor each other’s existence and support each other if attacked.

Massasoit, accompanied by Samoset, visited Plymouth and signed the Peace Treaty of 1621 with Governor Carter on March 22nd. Contained in the peace treaty were a few essential and enforceable conditions: (1) Wampanoag and Pilgrims vowed not to injure each other, and if it occurred the leader of one group would surrender the instigator to the other for punishment. (2) Wampanoag and Pilgrims would not steal from one another. (3) If either party was engaged in an unjust war, the other party would aid them. (4) All the Wampanoag tribes would honor the peace treaty. Historically, the Peace Treaty of 1621 is the essence of today’s NATO.

The friendship and cooperation of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag continued and in the fall of 1621 the Pilgrims invited Massasoit to celebrate their first harvest with them- the First Thanksgiving. Massasoit and 90 of his men brought five deer and the feasting lasted for three days. According to English sources, Massasoit prevented the failure of Plymouth Colony and the almost certain starvation the Pilgrims faced during the early years of the colony’s establishment. For nearly forty years the Wampanoag and the English of Massachusetts Bay Colony maintained the peace until Massasoit’s death. Massasoit is still remember today as a humane and honest man who never violated his word and constantly endeavored to instill his love of peace in his own people.

Jody – First Thanksgiving Proclamation

William Bradford was born in 1590 to William and Alice Bradford in Austerfield,Yorkshire,England. Austerfield was a small town of 200 or so residents. Most were farmers of modest means. TheBradfordfamily owned a large farm and was considered comparatively wealthy and influential in the community. As a child, William Bradford lost many family members. His father died when he was just a year old. His mother raised him alone until he was 4 years old when she re-married and sent him to his grandfather to live. Two years later his grandfather died and he returned to live with his mother and stepfather. One year later he became an orphan when his mother died. He was then sent to live with two uncles. Bradford’s uncles expected him to help with farm work but he was sickly most of the time and unable to do much work. He turned to reading and became familiar with the Bible and classic literature.

When William Bradford was twelve years old a friend invited him to hear a Puritan minister, Reverend Richard Clyfton, preach in Babworth, ten miles away from Austerfield. The sermons of Rev. Clyfton and, later, John Smith inspired young William. Even though his uncles forbade him to attend,Bradfordcontinued to attend their sermons. During one of the meetings he was befriended by William Brewster, bailiff and postmaster for the Archbishop of York. Brewster lived at Scrooby Manor, about 4 miles from Austerfield, and quickly became a father figure forBradford. Bradford borrowed books from Brewster and Brewster told him about church reform efforts that were taking place throughout England. A group of about 50 reformers began meeting secretly at Scrooby Manor. The group soon decided that reform of the Church of England was hopeless and that they would separate all ties with it. They became known as Separatists.

The weekly meetings of the Separatists soon attracted the attention of the Archbishop of York and many members were arrested, imprisoned and fined, including Brewster. In 1607 the Scrooby congregation decided to leaveEnglandillegally for the Dutch Republic, where religious freedom was permitted. William Bradford decided to go with them. The group suffered many setbacks in trying to leaveEngland, most notably their betrayal by an English sea captain who agreed to take them to theNetherlandsbut turned them over to the authorities instead. They were imprisoned for a short time. By the summer of 1608, the Scrooby congregation, including 18 year old William Bradford, had managed to escape England in small groups and relocated in Amsterdam.

The Separatists had spent most of their money in their attempts to get to the Dutch Republic. They took the lowest of jobs and lived under poor conditions. Having no family, William Bradford was taken in by the Brewster family. After nine months the congregation decided to relocate to the smaller city ofLeiden. When Bradford turned 21 in 1611, he was able to claim his family inheritance. He soon bought his own house and set up a workshop as a silk weaver, earning a reputable standing. In 1613, Bradford married Dorothy May, the daughter of a well-off English couple living inAmsterdam. In 1617, they had their first child, John Bradford. That same year the Scrooby congregation began to plan the establishment of their own colony in the New World.

The Separatists spent three years negotiating withEnglandto seek permission to settle in the northern parts of the Colony of Virginia. By July 1620, the necessary arrangements were made and approximately 50 Separatists departed theNetherlandson board the Speedwell. William and Dorothy Bradford had to leave their son behind with grandparents because he was too frail to make the voyage. The Speedwell was to meet up with the Mayflower off the coast of Englandand both would sail to Hudson’s River, now the site ofNew York City. The Speedwell proved too leaky and unable to make the voyage. About 100 passengers were instead crowded aboard the Mayflower. The passengers of the Mayflower, both Separatist and non-Separatist, are referred to today as Pilgrims. The term is derived from William Bradford’s journal describing their departure: With mutual embraces and many tears, they took their leaves of one another, which proved to be the last leave to many of them…but they knew they were pilgrims and looked not much on those things, but lifted their eyes to heaven.

The Mayflower reachedCape Codon November 9, 1620 after a voyage of 64 days. The colonists decided that the Mayflower could not proceed toHudson’s River for a variety of reasons, including shortage of supplies. They decided to settle somewhere on or nearCape Cod. They had no permission from the Crown to do so and feared for the legal status of the colony. They drafted the Mayflower Compact, which all free adult males signed, and agreed to majority rule. At the same time, they elected John Carver their first governor.

The Mayflower and its pilgrims searched theCapearea for a place to settle down. When the Mayflower was anchored in present-dayProvincetown harbor, Bradford volunteered to be a member of the exploration parties. While the Pilgrim men were out exploring one possible settlement site, Dorothy Bradford accidentally fell overboard and drowned. The exploration parties made three separate ventures from the Mayflower on foot and by boat. On December 6, 1620, during the third exploration, Bradford and his fellow explorers located what is nowPlymouth Bay and selected it for settlement. For the next few days they explored the bay and found a suitable place for settlement. The location featured a prominent hill suitable for defense. There were numerous brooks to provide fresh water. On December 20, 1620, the Mayflower Pilgrims arrived inPlymouth Bayand began building the colony’s first house on December 23.

In January 1621, a widespread sickness struck the colonists. William Bradford was stricken but recovered. Many of the settlers did not recover. During the months of February and March as many as two or three people died in a day. By the end of the winter, half of the 100 settlers had died. The Pilgrims’ remarkable courage was displayed in the spring when the Mayflower returned to England with not a single Pilgrim on it.

On March 16, the settlers had their first meeting with the Native Americans who lived in the area. The Pilgrims were frightened until a representative of Chief Massasoit (leader of the Pokanoket tribe) by the name of Samoset called out “Welcome” in English. He had learned English from the captains of fishing boats that sailed off the coast. Samoset stayed the night and left the next day. On March 22 a visit was made by Massasoit himself. Together Massasoit and the Governor of Plymouth John Carver signed a treaty to aid each other militarily in times of need. In April 1621, Governor Carver collapsed and died a few days later. The settlers ofPlymouththen chose William Bradford as the new governor.

Samoset returned to visit the Pilgrims with another Native American named Squanto, who spoke better English than Samoset. Squanto had been kidnapped a decade before by fishermen and taken toEngland, where he learned the language. The importance of Squanto to the Pilgrims was enormous. It has been said they would not have survived without him. Squanto taught them how to tap the maple trees for sap. He taught them which plants were poisonous and which ones were for medicine. He showed them how to plant corn by heaping the earth in low mounds with several seeds and a fish in each mound. He taught them to plant other crops as well.

Pilgrims had much to celebrate. They had built homes in the wilderness and were at peace with their neighbors. The harvest in October 1621 was a successful one. The Pilgrims had enough food to put away for winter. The corn, fruits and vegetables were all thanks to their Native American friends. The Pilgrim Governor William Bradford proclaimed a day of thanksgiving to be shared by the colonists and the neighboring Native Americans. They invited Squanto and his tribe to join them in their celebration. Chief Massasoit and 90 braves came to the celebration that lasted three days. The next year the Pilgrims’ harvest was not as bountiful. The third year brought a hot and dry spring and summer. The crops were dying in the fields. Governor Bradford ordered a day of fasting and prayer. Soon the rains came. To celebrate, November 29^th was proclaimed a day of thanksgiving. It is this date that is believed to be the true beginning of our present day Thanksgiving Day.

“In as much as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetables, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience.

Now, I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November 29^th, of the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and twenty-three and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.” – William Bradford, Ye Governor of Ye Colony.