The Mayflower : The Age Of Exploration Of The Native Americans

In 1800 Thomas Jefferson was elected president. With the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, Jefferson had the vision of the United States growing from sea to sea. However, it was unknown what was out there. Jefferson planned an exploratory expedition and called upon Meriwether Lewis to lead it. Jefferson was very interested in what was in the west lands. Much was involved in the carrying out of this expedition; the preparations for this trip, what happened during their long journey west, and the return home. This expedition was very important in the development of the United States.

The author John Smith, a pilgrim who arrived to the Americas, wrote a description of the new land in his book “ A Description of New England ”. In this book Smith shows a wonderful world of vast food and pleasure. Also, William Bradford another pilgrim who arrived to Plymouth on the coast of Massachusetts, wrote a book called “ Of Plymouth Plantation ” in which he describes what really happened, how the pilgrims actually lived. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast both authors and their books. John Smith wrote about the wonderful place the New World was, on the other hand, William Bradford wrote about the realities and difficulties of the New World.

The long history between Native American and Europeans are a strained and bloody one. For the time of Columbus’s subsequent visits to the new world, native culture has

Throughout the course of history there have been numerous accounts regarding Native American and European interaction. From first contact to Indian removal, the interaction was somewhat of a roller coaster ride, leading from times of peace to mini wars and rebellions staged by the Native American tribes. The first part of this essay will briefly discuss the pre-Columbian Indian civilizations in North America and provide simple awareness of their cultures, while the second part of this essay will explore all major Native American contact leading up to, and through, the American Revolution while emphasizing the impact of Spanish, French, and English explorers and colonies on Native American culture and vice versa. The third, and final, part of this essay will explore Native American interaction after the American Revolution with emphasis on westward expansion and the Jacksonian Era leading into Indian removal. Furthermore, this essay will attempt to provide insight into aspects of Native American/European interaction that are often ignored such as: gender relations between European men and Native American women, slavery and captivity of native peoples, trade between Native Americans and European colonists, and the effects of religion on Native American tribes.

When they were on there way to Virginia they didn't have enough resources to continue on towards Virginia. They were also too lazy to go on any further so they landed on Massachusetts and they made a colonization called Plymouth. The only reason they made Plymouth is for religious persecution.

On September 6, 1620, 102 men, women and children from England boarded a small cargo boat called the Mayflower and set sail for the New World. The passengers left their homes in England in search of religious freedom from the King of England. Today they are known as "pilgrims."

The creation the Mayflower compact was a very significant event in the history of the United States because of its example of a the first type of government in North America. The Mayflower Compact was draw up by a group of people known as Pilgrims in 1620. These people, mostly English, were in search of more religious freedom and better lives in the New World. 100 pilgrims began this journey in September of 1620 (History.com staff). Before, landing in New England, the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact. This legal document created “just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices” (History.com staff). This was the first example of a self-government in the New World. The founding fathers would later use many of the ideas in the Mayflower Compact in other governing documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. Through these examples, it is clear that the Mayflower Compact is significant to American history because it provided many ideas of self government that are still used in our governing documents today.

The Mayflower Compact, written and signed in 1620 by forty-one white men aboard a ship called the Mayflower, provided basic laws for those who first arrived in America. Eventually the thirteen colonies expanded, which brought an economical benefit and expanded trade for Britain. However, in the mid-1700s, Britain pushed the colonists to their limits, imposing them with unfair taxes. As a result, in 1775, colonists revolted in the American Revolution. When the war ended, colonists gained their freedom, from Britain, with the signing of The Treaty of Paris (1783).

Many people in America know of the historical expedition of Lewis and Clark, but only a few know of the expedition to California led by Jedediah Smith. This expedition took place after Thomas Jefferson signed the papers to acquire a huge region in the west through the Louisiana Purchase. After this expansion many people were eager to explore the west and among those was Jedediah Smith. From his childhood, Smith dreamed one day of exploring the unknown west part of the United States. He once said, "I wanted to be the first to view a country on which the eyes of a white man had never gazed and to follow the course of rivers that run through a new land." In 1824, Jedediah Smith began formulating his famous California expedition that

The arrival of the ‘foreigners’, as referred to by the Native Americans, turned a new stone in Native American diplomacy. No longer did they have to only deal with neighboring tribes, as they were forced to endeavor into politics with strangers who were looking to take their land. The first relationship between the pilgrims and the Native Americans began with the Wampanoag tribe. The relations between the two groups paved the view that the pilgrims had towards the Indians. The decently friendly relationship that stood between the two groups was short lived as the pilgrims felt that the indians were getting in the way of their expansion; and shortly after the friendship ceased to exist (Bell, 37).

The Mayflower was a ship that sailed from England to America in 1620. The people aboard the Mayflower were called Pilgrims. This trip lasted for almost more than two months. Many people aboard the ship died because they developed diseases and were seasick. When the Mayflower finally reached America, the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth September 11th of the same year and started to build homes.

John Winthrop, first governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony: “Touching these savages, there is a thing I cannot omit to remark to you, it is that it appears visibly that God wishes that they yield their place to new peoples.” (Crosby, Alfred W.) The Age of Exploration, (and Exploitation) brought an era of racism, nationalism, and ideals of superiority to the New World. Initially a beneficial concept, promoting trade and discovery quickly took a turn for the worst following Columbus’ arrival to Hispañola. The arrival of Europeans brought the ideas of conquest and greed, rather than cultural diffusion and peace between the newly discovered Empires and the Old World. Conquistadors killed and ravaged everything in their path to find gold and glory, having no opinion of the natives, and leading to ideals showcased in the quotes of the first Governor of Massachusetts, John Winthrop. The Age of Exploration ultimately had a more negative impact on the New World because of the invasion of European plantlife, the spread of disease, and the development of the Transatlantic Slave Trade

Summary: This book describes how European settlers colonized America and founded the first colony of the New World, Jamestown. The book explores the life of the settlers in Jamestown and the

William Bradford created a detailed picture in our minds of the hardships the Pilgrims endured, especially during their adventures on the Mayflower and Speedwell to find new land in hopes of escaping England’s control. Between furious seas, disease stricken passengers, and a cracked beam on the Mayflower, the hope Pilgrims’ once had, was almost lost. Only the writings of William Bradford could allow us to see what grueling torment our ancestors had to overcome. Some of the many hardships that the sailors and passengers endured included furious storms, terrible seasickness, abuse from the sailors and crew, dehydration and overall misery. The lack of drinking water in combination with seasickness and no sanitation quickly grasped the bodies on board.

In Nathaniel Philbrick’s novel Mayflower Philbrick depicts the Pilgrims in both a negative and positive way. He shows them as courageous people, but also as the cause of the downfall of the Native American’s community. Philbrick attempts all of this while remaining completely objective, stating the good and bad of both the Native American people and the Pilgrims.