Today, Thanksgiving is all about getting together with family and celebrating all the things that have happened in the last year. We eat until we cannot move, then having some pumpkin pie. In 1620 when the Pilgrims arrive on the shores of what is now Massachusetts, they had no idea what they had gotten themselves into. One of the passengers on the Mayflower, William Mullins, brought along 126 pairs of shoes and 13 pairs of boots. Now, maybe he intended to open a shoe store, I hope he didn't plan on wearing them all.
They arrived in November of 1620. November. One month before winter really takes hold, but well into cold and flu season. They wait out the winter on the Mayflower and in March of 1621 they wandered onto the shore. They were starving. Only two people die during the voyage, 50 more die after they reach the shore, while they wait out the winter. If you have ever seen the paintings of well fed Pilgrims wearing buckle shoes and clean smocks, forget that. Think dirty faced concentration camp survivors in crushed stovepipe hats.
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| The Pilgrim Illusion. |
When they get off the boat they were greeted by an Abenaki Indian who speaks English.
Ok, so history is too often looked at as a foregone conclusion. We look back on the events that shape who we are and we, kind of say "Yup, of course, that is how it was supposed to happen." Well, there is no "supposed to happen." Nothing about what we do, or anyone does is a foregone conclusion. When you leave your family and spend 66 days on a ship with 101 other people, heading to a place that nobody you know is familiar with, the last thing you expect is a guy on the other side who speaks your language. Thank goodness an English explorer captured Squanto, forced him into slavery, which he escaped from, returned to his tribe where he taught them english. He might as well have been a time traveler carefully placed there to make sure that the Pilgrims survive.
The Mayflower was a three or four masted ship that was about 90 feet long. 30 yards. Stand on the goal line of a football field and have someone else stand on the 30 yard line. Now have 100 more people stand between the two of you. Now add 30 other crew members some pigs, goats, chickens, (poultry - this could have been ducks.) cats, birds and at least one Bull Mastiff. The ship was 24 feet wide, it was built to ship freight, not people. The Pilgrims spent the trip on the second level of the ship rarely coming up on deck. The ceiling is 5' 6" from the floor, not that the settlers were very tall, but the space is small and there are a lot of people (and animals) in there. There is no running water, very little light and the food consists of salted meat and beer.
Our closest comparison is the transatlantic airline flight. We have to wait for hours to cue up and sit with hundreds of other people for several hours and listen to the drone of the jet engines. We share a common small bathroom... bathroom?
When we think about history we talk about the specifics. The size of the ship, the number of people, the time it took to get to the New World, but there is so much that we cannot measure or imagine. 102 people in that tight space, can you imagine the smell? Now, they were used to open sewers and horses in the streets and living in tenement buildings in England and Holland, but even to those standards, this was bad. Sometimes when you look at the simple petty things that we complain about, it puts things in perspective. It makes you appreciate how powerful the human spirit can be. The Pilgrims made it across the ocean in these cramped quarters, but their trip was an investment firm boondoggle compared to what the slaves would endure over the following century.
On November 11th 1620 the Mayflower landed on what is now Provincetown, Massachusetts. Today this town is a quiet beach community of artists and tourist shops. It is well known for its acceptance of individuals in the alternative lifestyle community. (Perhaps Mr. Mullins and his shoes were ahead of his time.) Growing up, my family used to vacation in Cape Cod. We would take day trips to P-town. I remember the town for the Army-Navy surplus store and a restaurant that had the best banana-walnut pancakes I have ever eaten. I have tried over and over again to make them, but have never been able to pull it off.
The world that we enhabit and the town that is P-town would be such an alien world to the Pilgrims. They came to this continent to be able to worship as they pleased. They wanted the opportunity to succeed on their own terms and they were willing to take risks to get there. If we took a group of them and put them in today's world how would they react? Would they be completely terrified by what they find? I think that they would figure it out. Even the hardest backwoodsman quickly gets used to the idea of a warm shower, a full belly and the enticing glow of the television. It might be the devil at first, but in time, it will be the devil they like and justify. Don't we?
Even with all of our knowledge of the world and perspective of history, I think we would have a much more difficult time adjusting to 1620 New England. No toilets, toilet paper, hot water, (purified water for that matter), Dri-fit athletic wear, antibiotics...
I have allergies, the idea of being in the small space with the animals and people would have killed me. I am having a sympathy asthma attack right now as I type.
So, 392 years after the Pilgrims piled into a tiny ship and ventured across the ocean to this continent I am thankful that they took that chance. I am thankful for each and every person between now and then that blindly bounded on behind them, knowingly, and unknowingly pursuing what amounts to be the same goal. They were not perfect, but they wanted to build a better life. They wanted to be somewhere where their kids could have a better life. I know that is what I want and I am proud to bound on.
