May 8, 2025 • 27 mins
What’s the real story and legacy of Plymouth Rock?
Did the so-called “Pilgrims” REALLY step upon that particular rock that fateful Autumn of 1620?
Why and how did Plymouth Rock become the defining “Founding of America" Myth?
My dog Noodles and I visit the rock in Plymouth Massachusetts to find out!
Works Cited:
https://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctv1wxsdq.7?searchText=plymouth+rock&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3Dplymouth%2Brock%26so%3Drel&ab_segments=0%2Fbasic_search_gsv2%2Fcontrol&refreqid=fastly-default%3A613af71a7850d2e61fbd659b9b9eb5f9&seq=6
https://www.jstor.org/stable/41779364?read-now=1&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents
They Knew They Were Pilgrims, Plymouth Colony and the Contest for American Liberty by John G Turner
https://www.history.com/articles/the-real-story-behind-plymouth-rock
https://www.studentsofhistory.com/comparing-jamestown-plymouth-colonies
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Plymouth-Rock-United-States-history
https://www.history.com/articles/william-bradford
https://www.history.com/articles/king-james-bible-most-popular
https://www.history.com/articles/mayflower-compact
https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/lawes-divine-morall-and-martiall/
https://plimoth.org/for-students/homework-help/mayflower-and-mayflower-compact
https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/The%20Mayflower%20Compact.pdf
https://www.potawatomi.org/blog/2020/11/25/the-true-dark-history-of-thanksgiving/
Noah and Noodles here!
We want to extend a heartfelt thanks to every listener of Backroad Odyssey.
Your support fuels our passion and inspires us to keep sharing stories and discover overlooked locations.
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Cruising down the street.
I wonder where this road wouldlead so many possibilities.
Care to share what you think.
Oh Noondolls, what do you see?
Back road odyssey.
(00:23):
A solitary rock digs into theAtlantic shoreline the number's
1620, etched upon its weatheredsurface.
More than one million make thepilgrimage to its quasi-sacred
resting place in easternMassachusetts.
Why, what really is PlymouthRock?
(00:47):
According to tradition,plymouth Rock is the first
parcel of land stepped upon bythose aboard the Mayflower.
These daring immigrants seekreligious freedom, boldly
weather unknown horizons andquickly establish a
semi-egalitarian system ofgovernance, distilling in a way
(01:09):
the essence of the Americanstory into one simple narrative.
This, at least, is what we tellourselves.
But what's the real story andthe real legacy of Plymouth Rock
and the real legacy of PlymouthRock?
Did the so-called pilgrimsreally step upon that particular
rock that fateful autumn of1620?
(01:32):
Why and how did Plymouth Rockbecome the defining founding of
America?
Myth Jamestown, the firstpermanent English settlement,
was established more than adecade before.
Why Plymouth Rock?
We are in Plymouth,massachusetts, parked along the
Atlantic.
(01:52):
Before we go, have a look atthe rock I've been hearing about
and most people have beenhearing about since first grade.
Let's get on the same page, soit's easy to get overwhelmed
with dates, with figures, withevents that lead to the
establishment of Plymouth Colony.
I've read enough booksresearching this to know that.
(02:13):
So we're going to focus insteadon three simple, compact
questions why really didpilgrims board the Mayflower,
what did they actually do whenthey arrived and why do over a
million people still make thepilgrimage to this small worn
(02:34):
rock at the edge of the Atlantic?
We start at the beginning with asmall group of Anglican
separatists, a bold idea anduntested horizons to the West,
the great hope and for thepropagating advancing of the
(02:58):
gospel of the kingdom of Christin those remote parts of the
world.
William Bradford, separatistaboard the Mayflower,
long-serving governor ofPlymouth Colony and the
authoritative contemporarysource for us today, early 16th
century England is a land ofuniformity and it's especially
(03:23):
unkind to religious.
Thank you for watching itself.
This is the world WilliamBradford is born into.
(03:44):
Bradford is a religiousYorkshire farm boy who in time
finds himself increasingly atodds with the rituals and the
traditions of his home country.
His opposing religious viewspush him towards a
semi-secretive Puritan sectknown as the Separatists.
(04:05):
Really quick, puritans wantedto purify or change the Anglican
English church and Separatistswanted to separate from the
English church, but at theircore, these Separatists seek to
recreate a simpler, more piousway of life.
Recreate a simpler, more piousway of life, a life that
(04:27):
emulates the simplicity and thecommunity of the earliest
Christian communities.
This sounds great but, notsurprisingly, it was never going
to happen in 16th centuryEngland, particularly after the
ascension of King James to theEnglish throne in 1603, whose
toleration for religiousdiversity is even less than his
(04:49):
predecessor, queen Elizabeth I.
These policies, these KingJames policies, prompt Bradford,
along with a small community ofseparatists, to emigrate to the
Netherlands, where they canfreely practice what they see as
the correct religion.
It's windy today.
(05:09):
I hope you can hear me Walkingalong the shore now to the rock.
But let's talk religion.
The idea that these separatists,the pilgrims, came to America
for religious liberty,specifically to establish a land
where everybody could justpractice as they see fit, is not
(05:32):
true.
It just is not.
They came to America with theexplicit purpose of creating a
community that aligned withtheir separatist views.
They didn't want people fromthe outside to come in.
I've got my phone out and hereis a quote from American
historian John Turner, author ofthey Knew they Were Pilgrims,
(05:56):
plymouth Colony and the Contestfor American Liberty, quote.
There was rather too muchreligious toleration in the
Dutch Republic.
They preferred to establishtheir own godly society on the
other side of the Atlantic andhoped that their success would
attract more English Puritans toembrace separatism.
End quote.
(06:17):
So they're not interested atall really in welcoming
different ideologies into thisquote.
Godly society Something tothink about.
Anywho on to the rock by 1619,many separatists, who at this
point humbly call themselvessaints, embrace the idea of
(06:40):
emigrating once again, but thistime to the sparsely explored,
very dangerous, risky America.
The Netherlands, where they hadlived for 10 years after
leaving England, allowed them topractice their religion freely.
But Bradford and theseparatists had difficulty
(07:02):
fitting in, getting jobs.
They didn't speak Dutch andthey start to realize that they
are at their core English.
They begin to yearn for acommunity where they can
practice freely and raisechildren and live in accordance
with the English crown andEnglish customs.
(07:22):
So after much effort, aftermuch time, the group receives
permission to form a settlementin the northern parts of the
Virginia Colony, which at thetime extended all the way to the
Hudson River.
The die then was cast was castIn September.
(07:51):
The group of 102 people,including 35 children and the
now adult William Bradford andhis new wife Dorothy, along with
an unexpected group oftradesmen, some orphans, people
that did not align with theseparatist viewpoint.
They were called the strangersby the separatists.
All these people board a small,cramped commercial vessel.
(08:13):
The Mayflower sets sail fromPlymouth, england, on September
6th 1620.
Sixty-six ruling days pass atsea.
When they finally do seal in,they're battered, they're broken
(08:35):
, but they're here.
Some say when they arrive astorm pushes them north.
Others say it was intentionalto further distance themselves
from Virginia and consequentlythe English crown and influence.
Regardless, they arrive northof the stated location when they
left and they drop anchor inwhat's now Provincetown Harbor,
(08:58):
off of Cape Cod.
Once the anchor is dropped, theland the Separatists on board
referred to as their promisedland is now in sight Sparse,
windswept and, by allappearances, uninhabited land.
(09:19):
But they made their choice.
Here it is Plymouth Rock.
(09:49):
Let's quickly describe what Isee.
It's a small rock.
It's rough, cracked, faded.
It's embedded into the denseMassachusetts sand, with the
date 1620 etched on the very topof it.
So tradition says that this isthe spot first stepped upon by
those zealous separatistscenturies ago, and we'll get to,
if there's any truth in thatassertion at all.
(10:12):
But for now, a quick storyBefore anyone sets foot off of
the Mayflower.
Bradford and 41 others sign theMayflower Compact in the hopes
of establishing an agreed-uponorder, an agreed-upon structure,
a government for the newsettlement.
(10:33):
This hastily written agreementbecomes the first European
example of self-governance inthe new world.
It's an early example of roughand tumble democracy, a
collective of self-determination, and now is often viewed as the
seed that would later becomethe American experiment.
(10:55):
But what does the documentactually say?
I've moved a bit away from therock.
I've moved a bit away from therock.
Sometimes I don't like recordingnext to people.
Right now I've got an excerptfrom the Mayflower Compact on my
phone.
Listen to the words In the nameof God, amen.
(11:16):
We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our
dread sovereign Lord, king James, by the grace of God and Great
Britain, france and Ireland,king, defender of the Faith.
It keeps going, havingundertaken for the glory of God
and advancement of the Christianfaith and honor of our King and
country.
I'll stop there for a second.
(11:37):
What's lost sometimes whenpeople talk about the Mayflower
Compact, this binding agreementbetween people, is that the
pilgrims were still very muchloyal and legally bound to king
and country, to England.
What made these pilgrimsestablish self-governance on the
Mayflower Is necessity, it'sdesperation.
(12:01):
It's not out of wantnecessarily to do so.
Right, they had no time towrite back to England before
winter.
They built houses in December.
They needed some form of lawsto abide by and this was their
solution, this was their toolfor survival, both with the
(12:23):
separatists and with thestrangers aboard.
Still, I have to say, this is animportant document that
influenced what would later goon to become traditional
American ideals.
Here's a bit later in thedocument, which is only 200
words, by the way, just crazy,okay.
Quote 200 words, by the way,just crazy, okay, quote.
(12:44):
Do, by these presents, solemnlyand mutually, in the presence
of God and one another, covenantand combine ourselves together
into a civil body politic Forthe better ordering and
preservation and furtherance ofthe ends aforesaid, and by the
virtue hereof, do enact,constitute and frame such just
(13:05):
and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices from
time to time, and shall bethought most meet and convenient
for the general good of thecolony, unto which we promise
all due submissions andobedience.
End of quote.
It's a rushed proto-democracyright, you've consent, of the
(13:27):
governed, different religionscoexisting, the separatists and
the strangers.
Everybody's working towards thegeneral good.
All of this, remember, born outof necessity, not necessarily
choice.
It's kind of the seed towardswhat would become traditional
American ideals.
But this is the most importantthing, it was born out of
(13:50):
necessity.
They had to survive what wascoming.
But it pleased God To visit usthen with death daily and with
(14:10):
so general a disease that theliving were scarce able to bury
the dead.
William Bradford Life is hard.
Bradford Life is hard, long,unforgiving.
(14:32):
In Plymouth Colony that firstwinter it's late December before
they actually start buildingrudimentary houses.
As many as two people of thealready small group die every
day from cold, from starvationor from despair.
William Bradford's wife fallsout of the Mayflower into the
(14:53):
cold, frigid Atlantic, or manyargue, she throws herself.
The Mayflower, still floatingalong the desolate shore, is
converted into a hospital forthe sick and the dying.
Some promised land this is, mrBradford, must have been beaten.
(15:14):
Come here, bud, come on.
Okay.
So it's sometimes moreconvenient to simplify things.
But hearing the full story,understanding the larger picture
, that sometimes should be ourobligation, and the story of how
(15:38):
Plymouth Colony survived thatfirst just awful winter, might
not be as straightforward as youremember.
Six years before the arrival ofthe Mayflower, slave traders
capture members of the Wampanoagtribe in modern Massachusetts
(15:59):
and throw them aboard a shipbound for Spain.
On this ship is Tisquantum, ayoung Wampanoag man who later
escapes imprisonment in Spainand makes his way for England.
There he learns English andeventually secures passage back
to his beloved tribe.
What he finds upon arrival backin America in 1619 is
(16:26):
desolation.
His village, once thriving, isgone, bones unceremoniously
scattered throughout his formerhome.
Well kidnapped, well gone.
A plague had wiped out hisentire village.
It's upon this site ofTisquantum's old village,
(16:47):
littered with bones, stainedwith laws, where Bradford and
the pilgrims establish PlymouthPlantation.
Only 25% of the Wampanoag triberemains by Plymouth's first
winter after the plague.
Meanwhile, a nearby enemy tribe, the Narragessent, remains
strong.
The sickness never spread tothem, and so, in a bid for
(17:10):
safety against this strongertribe, tisquantum, having
learned English, initiates atreaty between the remaining
Wampanoag and the pilgrims whoare struggling.
They were both weak and theyboth agreed to defend each other
against what they saw as largerthreats.
(17:31):
Desquantum, from then on,becomes a key resource for the
naive settlers, teaching themhow to survive the harsh and the
foreign terrain right above theremains of his old village.
How did Plymouth colony surviveTo squantum?
(17:55):
So Plymouth Rock behind me nowis intimately tied with what we
call the first Thanksgiving,where the pilgrims celebrate a
successful harvest by shootingguns into the air in 1621.
The Wampanoag hear thesegunshots and arrive in a frantic
mood because they think thatthe pilgrims are getting
attacked.
(18:15):
But they're celebrating and theWampanoag join them because
they signed that treaty.
That's the story.
That's the first Thanksgiving.
But here we get to an importantpoint.
I think the more you look intoit the ideal American story as
(18:36):
represented through PlymouthRock the more it becomes a
series of snapshots rather thanthe whole picture.
You know what I mean the kindof false idea of religious
tolerance, the wantedestablishment of a totally
independent proto-democracy,peace and friendship with
(19:00):
surrounding tribes.
All of this is connecting thedots to tell a story of who we'd
like to be as people, not thereality of who we were and
sometimes are.
Look to this day.
Tribes come to Plymouth Rock tobring attention to the 400-plus
years of deep mistreatment afterthe landing to Plymouth Rock.
(19:21):
To bring attention to the 400plus years of deep mistreatment
after the landing at Plymouth.
They and all the visitors tothis site behind me now aren't
going to see a small,underwhelming rock.
They're attracted to everythingthat it represents the stories,
the history, the ideals.
So, with that said, what's thestory of Plymouth Rock itself?
(19:47):
There's no historical evidenceto confirm Plymouth Rock as
Bradford and the Pilgrims'stepping stone into the new
world Zero.
Plymouth Rock's story begins 121years after the arrival of the
(20:07):
Mayflower.
In 1741, 94-year-old ThomasFoss identifies a 10-ton boulder
as the precise spot wherepilgrims first landed.
Thomas's father, who arrived inPlymouth in 1623, years after
the first landing, along withother original Mayflower
(20:27):
passengers, assured Thomas ofthe authenticity of the rock as
being the definitive landingspot.
Regardless of the authenticityof this claim, regardless of the
authenticity of this claim, by1770, the rock becomes an
American icon, a tangiblemonument to a distinctly
(20:47):
American identity.
As a revolutionary fever sweepsthrough Plymouth, 20 teams of
oxen attempt to move the nowiconic boulder to the town
meeting house, but they splitthe rock in two on accident.
In 1834, the rock is movedagain to the front lawn of the
Pilgrim Hall Museum and theboulder once again is dropped
(21:11):
and breaks into two again.
Souvenir seekers wieldinghammers and chisels take
portions of the rock.
Through the years, chunks aretaken off to fit monuments
placed around it.
It's not until 1880, when thedate 1620 is carved into what's
left of the stone and it'sreturned to the harbor where its
(21:33):
base it was torn from over acentury ago was waiting.
One third of Plymouth Rock'soriginal mass lies intact, and
yet another one third is visibleabove the dense sand.
The rock now rests on a sandybed five feet below street level
(21:55):
, inspiring underwhelming,upsetting and intriguing
visitors who look down upon it.
As one candle may light athousand, so the light here
kindles hearth shown unto many.
(22:15):
William Bradford, we're back inthe van.
A lot to think about.
Here's the question I'll asknow.
Why did the story of PlymouthColony win out over other early
(22:38):
English settlements likeJamestown and become the
defining American myth?
Jamestown was established overa decade before Plymouth.
Both settlements had similarrisks, similar populations.
They both have ties to England.
I think the overtly simpleanswer is the Plymouth Colony
(23:00):
story has more ingredients tomake a compelling American
founding myth.
A group who seeks religiousfreedom, establishes
self-governance, makes peacewith Native populations sounds
much more compelling than agroup whose interests lie
(23:20):
primarily in economics andmonetary gain.
Right, and that was Jamestown.
Jamestown is a less appealingnarrative of what we want
American history to be?
I don't know.
I've always found the wholetruth.
Sometimes life is morecomplicated, sometimes stories
(23:50):
are more complicated, but that'swhat makes them important and
compelling.
Plymouth Colony, along withWilliam Bradford, survived that
first terrible winter.
William Bradford survive thatfirst terrible winter.
(24:13):
Bradford's later writing andreflections on his time in
Plymouth, from arrival to histime as governor and eventually
to his death, remain a primarycontemporary source for that
period.
He dies, never fully realizinghis dream of a cohesive,
separatist promised land.
Colonies grow, settlementsmerge and the march of progress
(24:38):
quickens.
But Plymouth Rock andeverything it's come to
represent remains weathered, butintact along the Massachusetts
shore, intact along theMassachusetts shore.
A solitary rock digs into theAtlantic shoreline.
(24:59):
The numbers 1620 etched uponits weathered surface.
More than one million make thepilgrimage to its quasi-sacred
resting place in easternMassachusetts.
Why, what really is PlymouthRock?
You tell me it's Noah here andnoodles Say hi, bud, nope, all
(25:39):
right, so thank you forlistening.
I hope you enjoyed the episode.
One quick reflection before wesign off.
The biggest opinion I've seen onPlymouth Rock is that it's
underwhelming.
Right, you go there and it's arock, and it's a small rock.
It's far away, but I think in away that's what makes it
(25:59):
interesting.
You know, this rock has come torepresent so many things, so
many stories, so many ideals andhopefully, if you do go and
visit the Rock, which I thinkyou should it's a bucket list
thing.
I think you should.
Looking into the entire story,the full narrative behind the
(26:21):
Rock, behind really the Americanstory, is what makes it so
interesting.
So I challenge you, if you dogo to the Rock, look into the
history a little bit.
I think you'll find youappreciate going there a little
more.
I did.
With that said, thank you againfor listening.
One thing genuinely you can doto help is to rate and review
(26:45):
wherever you're listening.
Now it really helps Noodles andI continue to put the work we'd
like to put the research we'dlike to into each episode and to
make this show as great as we'dlike it to be.
So thank you again.
Thanks for traveling with us.
Be good to each other.
Where to next?
Cruising down the street.
I wonder where this road wouldlead so many possibilities.
Care to share what you think.
Oh Noondolls, what do you see?
Back road odyssey.
(00:23):
A solitary rock digs into theAtlantic shoreline the number's
1620, etched upon its weatheredsurface.
More than one million make thepilgrimage to its quasi-sacred
resting place in easternMassachusetts.
Why, what really is PlymouthRock?
(00:47):
According to tradition,plymouth Rock is the first
parcel of land stepped upon bythose aboard the Mayflower.
These daring immigrants seekreligious freedom, boldly
weather unknown horizons andquickly establish a
semi-egalitarian system ofgovernance, distilling in a way
(01:09):
the essence of the Americanstory into one simple narrative.
This, at least, is what we tellourselves.
But what's the real story andthe real legacy of Plymouth Rock
and the real legacy of PlymouthRock?
Did the so-called pilgrimsreally step upon that particular
rock that fateful autumn of1620?
(01:32):
Why and how did Plymouth Rockbecome the defining founding of
America?
Myth Jamestown, the firstpermanent English settlement,
was established more than adecade before.
Why Plymouth Rock?
We are in Plymouth,massachusetts, parked along the
Atlantic.
(01:52):
Before we go, have a look atthe rock I've been hearing about
and most people have beenhearing about since first grade.
Let's get on the same page, soit's easy to get overwhelmed
with dates, with figures, withevents that lead to the
establishment of Plymouth Colony.
I've read enough booksresearching this to know that.
(02:13):
So we're going to focus insteadon three simple, compact
questions why really didpilgrims board the Mayflower,
what did they actually do whenthey arrived and why do over a
million people still make thepilgrimage to this small worn
(02:34):
rock at the edge of the Atlantic?
We start at the beginning with asmall group of Anglican
separatists, a bold idea anduntested horizons to the West,
the great hope and for thepropagating advancing of the
(02:58):
gospel of the kingdom of Christin those remote parts of the
world.
William Bradford, separatistaboard the Mayflower,
long-serving governor ofPlymouth Colony and the
authoritative contemporarysource for us today, early 16th
century England is a land ofuniformity and it's especially
(03:23):
unkind to religious.
Thank you for watching itself.
This is the world WilliamBradford is born into.
(03:44):
Bradford is a religiousYorkshire farm boy who in time
finds himself increasingly atodds with the rituals and the
traditions of his home country.
His opposing religious viewspush him towards a
semi-secretive Puritan sectknown as the Separatists.
(04:05):
Really quick, puritans wantedto purify or change the Anglican
English church and Separatistswanted to separate from the
English church, but at theircore, these Separatists seek to
recreate a simpler, more piousway of life.
Recreate a simpler, more piousway of life, a life that
(04:27):
emulates the simplicity and thecommunity of the earliest
Christian communities.
This sounds great but, notsurprisingly, it was never going
to happen in 16th centuryEngland, particularly after the
ascension of King James to theEnglish throne in 1603, whose
toleration for religiousdiversity is even less than his
(04:49):
predecessor, queen Elizabeth I.
These policies, these KingJames policies, prompt Bradford,
along with a small community ofseparatists, to emigrate to the
Netherlands, where they canfreely practice what they see as
the correct religion.
It's windy today.
(05:09):
I hope you can hear me Walkingalong the shore now to the rock.
But let's talk religion.
The idea that these separatists,the pilgrims, came to America
for religious liberty,specifically to establish a land
where everybody could justpractice as they see fit, is not
(05:32):
true.
It just is not.
They came to America with theexplicit purpose of creating a
community that aligned withtheir separatist views.
They didn't want people fromthe outside to come in.
I've got my phone out and hereis a quote from American
historian John Turner, author ofthey Knew they Were Pilgrims,
(05:56):
plymouth Colony and the Contestfor American Liberty, quote.
There was rather too muchreligious toleration in the
Dutch Republic.
They preferred to establishtheir own godly society on the
other side of the Atlantic andhoped that their success would
attract more English Puritans toembrace separatism.
End quote.
(06:17):
So they're not interested atall really in welcoming
different ideologies into thisquote.
Godly society Something tothink about.
Anywho on to the rock by 1619,many separatists, who at this
point humbly call themselvessaints, embrace the idea of
(06:40):
emigrating once again, but thistime to the sparsely explored,
very dangerous, risky America.
The Netherlands, where they hadlived for 10 years after
leaving England, allowed them topractice their religion freely.
But Bradford and theseparatists had difficulty
(07:02):
fitting in, getting jobs.
They didn't speak Dutch andthey start to realize that they
are at their core English.
They begin to yearn for acommunity where they can
practice freely and raisechildren and live in accordance
with the English crown andEnglish customs.
(07:22):
So after much effort, aftermuch time, the group receives
permission to form a settlementin the northern parts of the
Virginia Colony, which at thetime extended all the way to the
Hudson River.
The die then was cast was castIn September.
(07:51):
The group of 102 people,including 35 children and the
now adult William Bradford andhis new wife Dorothy, along with
an unexpected group oftradesmen, some orphans, people
that did not align with theseparatist viewpoint.
They were called the strangersby the separatists.
All these people board a small,cramped commercial vessel.
(08:13):
The Mayflower sets sail fromPlymouth, england, on September
6th 1620.
Sixty-six ruling days pass atsea.
When they finally do seal in,they're battered, they're broken
(08:35):
, but they're here.
Some say when they arrive astorm pushes them north.
Others say it was intentionalto further distance themselves
from Virginia and consequentlythe English crown and influence.
Regardless, they arrive northof the stated location when they
left and they drop anchor inwhat's now Provincetown Harbor,
(08:58):
off of Cape Cod.
Once the anchor is dropped, theland the Separatists on board
referred to as their promisedland is now in sight Sparse,
windswept and, by allappearances, uninhabited land.
(09:19):
But they made their choice.
Here it is Plymouth Rock.
(09:49):
Let's quickly describe what Isee.
It's a small rock.
It's rough, cracked, faded.
It's embedded into the denseMassachusetts sand, with the
date 1620 etched on the very topof it.
So tradition says that this isthe spot first stepped upon by
those zealous separatistscenturies ago, and we'll get to,
if there's any truth in thatassertion at all.
(10:12):
But for now, a quick storyBefore anyone sets foot off of
the Mayflower.
Bradford and 41 others sign theMayflower Compact in the hopes
of establishing an agreed-uponorder, an agreed-upon structure,
a government for the newsettlement.
(10:33):
This hastily written agreementbecomes the first European
example of self-governance inthe new world.
It's an early example of roughand tumble democracy, a
collective of self-determination, and now is often viewed as the
seed that would later becomethe American experiment.
(10:55):
But what does the documentactually say?
I've moved a bit away from therock.
I've moved a bit away from therock.
Sometimes I don't like recordingnext to people.
Right now I've got an excerptfrom the Mayflower Compact on my
phone.
Listen to the words In the nameof God, amen.
(11:16):
We whose names are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our
dread sovereign Lord, king James, by the grace of God and Great
Britain, france and Ireland,king, defender of the Faith.
It keeps going, havingundertaken for the glory of God
and advancement of the Christianfaith and honor of our King and
country.
I'll stop there for a second.
(11:37):
What's lost sometimes whenpeople talk about the Mayflower
Compact, this binding agreementbetween people, is that the
pilgrims were still very muchloyal and legally bound to king
and country, to England.
What made these pilgrimsestablish self-governance on the
Mayflower Is necessity, it'sdesperation.
(12:01):
It's not out of wantnecessarily to do so.
Right, they had no time towrite back to England before
winter.
They built houses in December.
They needed some form of lawsto abide by and this was their
solution, this was their toolfor survival, both with the
(12:23):
separatists and with thestrangers aboard.
Still, I have to say, this is animportant document that
influenced what would later goon to become traditional
American ideals.
Here's a bit later in thedocument, which is only 200
words, by the way, just crazy,okay.
Quote 200 words, by the way,just crazy, okay, quote.
(12:44):
Do, by these presents, solemnlyand mutually, in the presence
of God and one another, covenantand combine ourselves together
into a civil body politic Forthe better ordering and
preservation and furtherance ofthe ends aforesaid, and by the
virtue hereof, do enact,constitute and frame such just
(13:05):
and equal laws, ordinances, acts, constitutions and offices from
time to time, and shall bethought most meet and convenient
for the general good of thecolony, unto which we promise
all due submissions andobedience.
End of quote.
It's a rushed proto-democracyright, you've consent, of the
(13:27):
governed, different religionscoexisting, the separatists and
the strangers.
Everybody's working towards thegeneral good.
All of this, remember, born outof necessity, not necessarily
choice.
It's kind of the seed towardswhat would become traditional
American ideals.
But this is the most importantthing, it was born out of
(13:50):
necessity.
They had to survive what wascoming.
But it pleased God To visit usthen with death daily and with
(14:10):
so general a disease that theliving were scarce able to bury
the dead.
William Bradford Life is hard.
Bradford Life is hard, long,unforgiving.
(14:32):
In Plymouth Colony that firstwinter it's late December before
they actually start buildingrudimentary houses.
As many as two people of thealready small group die every
day from cold, from starvationor from despair.
William Bradford's wife fallsout of the Mayflower into the
(14:53):
cold, frigid Atlantic, or manyargue, she throws herself.
The Mayflower, still floatingalong the desolate shore, is
converted into a hospital forthe sick and the dying.
Some promised land this is, mrBradford, must have been beaten.
(15:14):
Come here, bud, come on.
Okay.
So it's sometimes moreconvenient to simplify things.
But hearing the full story,understanding the larger picture
, that sometimes should be ourobligation, and the story of how
(15:38):
Plymouth Colony survived thatfirst just awful winter, might
not be as straightforward as youremember.
Six years before the arrival ofthe Mayflower, slave traders
capture members of the Wampanoagtribe in modern Massachusetts
(15:59):
and throw them aboard a shipbound for Spain.
On this ship is Tisquantum, ayoung Wampanoag man who later
escapes imprisonment in Spainand makes his way for England.
There he learns English andeventually secures passage back
to his beloved tribe.
What he finds upon arrival backin America in 1619 is
(16:26):
desolation.
His village, once thriving, isgone, bones unceremoniously
scattered throughout his formerhome.
Well kidnapped, well gone.
A plague had wiped out hisentire village.
It's upon this site ofTisquantum's old village,
(16:47):
littered with bones, stainedwith laws, where Bradford and
the pilgrims establish PlymouthPlantation.
Only 25% of the Wampanoag triberemains by Plymouth's first
winter after the plague.
Meanwhile, a nearby enemy tribe, the Narragessent, remains
strong.
The sickness never spread tothem, and so, in a bid for
(17:10):
safety against this strongertribe, tisquantum, having
learned English, initiates atreaty between the remaining
Wampanoag and the pilgrims whoare struggling.
They were both weak and theyboth agreed to defend each other
against what they saw as largerthreats.
(17:31):
Desquantum, from then on,becomes a key resource for the
naive settlers, teaching themhow to survive the harsh and the
foreign terrain right above theremains of his old village.
How did Plymouth colony surviveTo squantum?
(17:55):
So Plymouth Rock behind me nowis intimately tied with what we
call the first Thanksgiving,where the pilgrims celebrate a
successful harvest by shootingguns into the air in 1621.
The Wampanoag hear thesegunshots and arrive in a frantic
mood because they think thatthe pilgrims are getting
attacked.
(18:15):
But they're celebrating and theWampanoag join them because
they signed that treaty.
That's the story.
That's the first Thanksgiving.
But here we get to an importantpoint.
I think the more you look intoit the ideal American story as
(18:36):
represented through PlymouthRock the more it becomes a
series of snapshots rather thanthe whole picture.
You know what I mean the kindof false idea of religious
tolerance, the wantedestablishment of a totally
independent proto-democracy,peace and friendship with
(19:00):
surrounding tribes.
All of this is connecting thedots to tell a story of who we'd
like to be as people, not thereality of who we were and
sometimes are.
Look to this day.
Tribes come to Plymouth Rock tobring attention to the 400-plus
years of deep mistreatment afterthe landing to Plymouth Rock.
(19:21):
To bring attention to the 400plus years of deep mistreatment
after the landing at Plymouth.
They and all the visitors tothis site behind me now aren't
going to see a small,underwhelming rock.
They're attracted to everythingthat it represents the stories,
the history, the ideals.
So, with that said, what's thestory of Plymouth Rock itself?
(19:47):
There's no historical evidenceto confirm Plymouth Rock as
Bradford and the Pilgrims'stepping stone into the new
world Zero.
Plymouth Rock's story begins 121years after the arrival of the
(20:07):
Mayflower.
In 1741, 94-year-old ThomasFoss identifies a 10-ton boulder
as the precise spot wherepilgrims first landed.
Thomas's father, who arrived inPlymouth in 1623, years after
the first landing, along withother original Mayflower
(20:27):
passengers, assured Thomas ofthe authenticity of the rock as
being the definitive landingspot.
Regardless of the authenticityof this claim, regardless of the
authenticity of this claim, by1770, the rock becomes an
American icon, a tangiblemonument to a distinctly
(20:47):
American identity.
As a revolutionary fever sweepsthrough Plymouth, 20 teams of
oxen attempt to move the nowiconic boulder to the town
meeting house, but they splitthe rock in two on accident.
In 1834, the rock is movedagain to the front lawn of the
Pilgrim Hall Museum and theboulder once again is dropped
(21:11):
and breaks into two again.
Souvenir seekers wieldinghammers and chisels take
portions of the rock.
Through the years, chunks aretaken off to fit monuments
placed around it.
It's not until 1880, when thedate 1620 is carved into what's
left of the stone and it'sreturned to the harbor where its
(21:33):
base it was torn from over acentury ago was waiting.
One third of Plymouth Rock'soriginal mass lies intact, and
yet another one third is visibleabove the dense sand.
The rock now rests on a sandybed five feet below street level
(21:55):
, inspiring underwhelming,upsetting and intriguing
visitors who look down upon it.
As one candle may light athousand, so the light here
kindles hearth shown unto many.
(22:15):
William Bradford, we're back inthe van.
A lot to think about.
Here's the question I'll asknow.
Why did the story of PlymouthColony win out over other early
(22:38):
English settlements likeJamestown and become the
defining American myth?
Jamestown was established overa decade before Plymouth.
Both settlements had similarrisks, similar populations.
They both have ties to England.
I think the overtly simpleanswer is the Plymouth Colony
(23:00):
story has more ingredients tomake a compelling American
founding myth.
A group who seeks religiousfreedom, establishes
self-governance, makes peacewith Native populations sounds
much more compelling than agroup whose interests lie
(23:20):
primarily in economics andmonetary gain.
Right, and that was Jamestown.
Jamestown is a less appealingnarrative of what we want
American history to be?
I don't know.
I've always found the wholetruth.
Sometimes life is morecomplicated, sometimes stories
(23:50):
are more complicated, but that'swhat makes them important and
compelling.
Plymouth Colony, along withWilliam Bradford, survived that
first terrible winter.
William Bradford survive thatfirst terrible winter.
(24:13):
Bradford's later writing andreflections on his time in
Plymouth, from arrival to histime as governor and eventually
to his death, remain a primarycontemporary source for that
period.
He dies, never fully realizinghis dream of a cohesive,
separatist promised land.
Colonies grow, settlementsmerge and the march of progress
(24:38):
quickens.
But Plymouth Rock andeverything it's come to
represent remains weathered, butintact along the Massachusetts
shore, intact along theMassachusetts shore.
A solitary rock digs into theAtlantic shoreline.
(24:59):
The numbers 1620 etched uponits weathered surface.
More than one million make thepilgrimage to its quasi-sacred
resting place in easternMassachusetts.
Why, what really is PlymouthRock?
You tell me it's Noah here andnoodles Say hi, bud, nope, all
(25:39):
right, so thank you forlistening.
I hope you enjoyed the episode.
One quick reflection before wesign off.
The biggest opinion I've seen onPlymouth Rock is that it's
underwhelming.
Right, you go there and it's arock, and it's a small rock.
It's far away, but I think in away that's what makes it
(25:59):
interesting.
You know, this rock has come torepresent so many things, so
many stories, so many ideals andhopefully, if you do go and
visit the Rock, which I thinkyou should it's a bucket list
thing.
I think you should.
Looking into the entire story,the full narrative behind the
(26:21):
Rock, behind really the Americanstory, is what makes it so
interesting.
So I challenge you, if you dogo to the Rock, look into the
history a little bit.
I think you'll find youappreciate going there a little
more.
I did.
With that said, thank you againfor listening.
One thing genuinely you can doto help is to rate and review
(26:45):
wherever you're listening.
Now it really helps Noodles andI continue to put the work we'd
like to put the research we'dlike to into each episode and to
make this show as great as we'dlike it to be.
So thank you again.
Thanks for traveling with us.
Be good to each other.
Where to next?
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