The Pilgrims and the Indians

After completing our first week of school, which was primarily a week of reviewing and getting into the groove of things, we picked up right where we left off last year. One of the subjects I was most excited to get into was the Pilgrims and the Indians. Although we had talked about the Pilgrims and the Indians our first year at Thanksgiving time, and we will continue to always remember and reverence the Pilgrims and the Indians every year at Thanksgiving time, we decided to still cover them again as part of our American History chronology. We read all sorts of books talking about both the Pilgrims, and the Indians, and the Pilgrims and the Indians. We read the actual Mayflower Compact, and I bought William Bradford's History on Plymouth and read the kids excerpts from his writings as well.

Several times during our class I couldn't help but breaking down into tears. I developed such a love for the Pilgrims, and their role in being the foundation for a people "Under God." I was struck this time around by how much they sacrificed. They suffered hardships before they fled England for Holland. They were persecuted, mobbed, their homes and possessions were destroyed, and they were driven about. (Sound familiar Mormon history fans??) Eventually, they made it safety to Holland, but after 11 years, decided that they again needed a change. So, rather than staying safe in Holland, they decided to depart for the new world so that their children would be safe from the negative cultural influences and be able to be raised in a wholesome, god-fearing community.

Then their hardships started all over again. They suffered on the journey to America, they suffered once they arrived, and half of them died during that first winter. Still, when the Mayflower sailed back to England the next Spring, not one of the remaining Pilgrims asked to return. Instead, they watched their only escape sail off into the sunset. This group of 50 people were then deserted in a new world. They had little supplies, no skills or knowledge of the land, and a giant question mark as to what their relationship would be with the Indians. They had, however, insurmountable faith, and they consecrated this great land to be a land of God, where a chosen people could be raised up. They saw themselves as the forerunners of something great. As Bradford said in his journal:

Thus out of small beginnings greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and, as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all the praise! (Of Plymouth Plantation, p. 236)

I feel so indebted to these great men, woman and children. And studying them this time around strengthened my testimony of the Lord's hand in forming and guiding the destiny of this country. I love this great country! And did I mention I love history too? I love history too!

I wanted to include a few pictures for histories sake too. Over the summer, we put our previous learning to use by planting our garden in the three sisters method used by the Pilgrims and the Indians. (Squanto taught the pilgrims how to use this method.) For those of you who are unfamiliar with this method, let me explain. The Indians made little mounds of dirt to plant their corn in. Then when the corn was four inches high, they planted pole beans in the mounts between the corn, and planted pumpkins between the mounds. This way, the beans can use the corn stalks as their "pole" and the pumpkins keep out the weeds. I thought it would be kind of fun to try doing this, but had little idea how successful it would be. It was amazing how the beans wrapped all the way up the corn and how little weeding was required. The kids and I loved it--showing it to anyone and everyone who entered our back yard. It also turned out to be one of our best years for growing pumpkins, and the only time in our six years of having a garden that we had multiple meals from our corn and beans. Now we will be forever indebted to those Pilgrims and Indians for one more thing.