The Mayflower

Image from "The Mayflower" at www.nathanielphilbrick.com

I just finished The Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick (who also wrote the great book In the Heart of the Sea). While most of the story of the Pilgrims was familiar to me (from the landing up through the first Thanksgiving), the subsequent generations and King Phillips War was not. The author points out that often American mythology jumps across the 150 years from the Pilgrims landing to the War for Independence. Many of the themes seen throughout subsequent American history can be found in the 17th century New England history. Obviously, the majority of the book deals with the settlers relationship with the Indians and Indian tribes. The greed, racism, deceit, hatred, hypocrisy, and violence are heartbreaking. Paradoxically, this history is also about men of great faith and morality. As the book subtly pointed out, the challenge of loving our neighbor was not just an issue for the Pilgrims and Indians, it is an issue ever before us.