The Real Story of Plymouth

1. Set Focus
Pose this essential question: What factors influence how history is written?

2. List Vocabulary
Share some of the challenging vocabulary words in the article (see below). Encourage students to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• uneasily
• downplay
• resist
• alliance
• relocate
• ancestral
  

3. Engage
Ask students to share what they know about the first Thanksgiving, in 1621. Then ask students to predict what—if anything—they might be wrong about in their understanding of the first Thanksgiving. After students read and analyze the article, have students share new insights and discuss what surprised them.  

4. Read and Discuss
Ask students to read the Upfront article about the history of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people. Review why the article is a secondary source. (It was written by someone who didn’t personally experience or witness the events.) Then pose these critical-thinking questions:

• What was what we now call southeastern New England like when the Pilgrims arrived in 1620? (When the Pilgrims arrived in 1620, southeastern New England was inhabited by about 144,000 Native people. They lived in “dozens of independent but connected communities” led by sachems, or leaders. They had developed a system of living along the coast or other waterways during spring and summer to fish and farm and moving inland in the winter, which helped them survive. And they shared resources.) 

• Why did Ousamequin closely follow what the Pilgrims were doing? Why did he eventually pursue an alliance? (Ousamequin closely followed the Pilgrims’ actions because he was not sure whether he could trust them. Previous groups of Europeans had brought disease or they had kidnapped and enslaved Native people. He eventually pursued an alliance because he thought the Pilgrims might be different, as they included women and children, and because he had lost many people to disease and he thought a new ally might be useful.)

• How did the Pilgrims benefit from their alliance with the Wampanoag? Why were the newcomers eventually able to overpower the Native peoples? (The Pilgrims benefited by learning how to live off the land to survive. They also received protection from attack by other sachems. More Europeans arrived, and they had guns. Their numbers and weaponry helped them take over Native land.)

• In the first section, the author says that the Wampanoag people are still feeling “the impact of the Mayflower’s arrival.” What is the connotation of impact in this the statement? How does the author support this statement? The connotation is negative—the impact was bad. The author supports this statement with details about the Wampanoag losing their land and culture.)

5. Use the Primary Sources

Project or distribute the PDF A Wampanoag Perspective (or assign it in Google Classroom), which features excerpts from a speech that Wamsutta Frank B. James was not allowed to give at an event celebrating the 350th anniversary of Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock. Discuss what makes the speech a primary source. (Though not a primary source for the first Thanksgiving, it provides firsthand evidence concerning the long-term effects of European migration on American Indians.) Have students read the excerpts and answer the questions below (which appear on the PDF without answers).

• How would you describe the tone and purpose of these excerpts from James’s speech? (The tone can be described as solemn and aggrieved, yet, toward the end, hopeful and reconciliatory. The purpose is to convey the Native American perspective on the arrival of the Pilgrims.)

• What does James describe as perhaps the biggest mistake his people made? Why does he view it this way? (James describes welcoming the Pilgrims and helping them survive in America as perhaps the biggest mistake his people made. He views it this way because descendants of the Pilgrims destroyed his and other Native Americans’ nations.)

• What contrasting perspectives about land does James present? How does this fit into his speech’s theme? (James contrasts the Native American and European perspectives about land. According to James, Native Americans view land as a resource that is to be shared and used respectfully to survive, while Europeans see land as something to cordon off for personal gain, and so they forced Native peoples off their land. Including this contrast helps illustrate why European arrival represents pain and destruction to Native peoples and not something to celebrate.)

• Which details in the speech help you understand why James has “mixed emotion” about the celebration? (The details James includes about the way European settlers treated Native Americans help reveal that the celebration is a sad occasion for him. His comments about working together to build a new America reflective of Indian values reflects a hopeful feeling about what the celebration can symbolize.)

• Based on the Upfront article and James’s speech, how could Europeans have settled in America in a way that respected the traditions of Native peoples? How might the U.S. be different today as a result? (Students’ responses will vary, but they should support their ideas with evidence from both texts.)

6. Writing Prompt
Research one topic in the timeline on pages 20-21. Then write a four-paragraph informative essay explaining some of the history, causes, and effects of the topic you chose.

7. Quiz
Use the Test Your Knowledge quiz to assess comprehension.

8. Classroom Debate
Did Ousamequin make the wrong decision in forming an alliance with the Pilgrims?

9. Online Resources
The National Museum of the American Indian has materials for helping students understand the Native American experience. Visit americanindian.si.edu, click on “K–12 Distance Learning” for information about virtual field trips, online lessons, and professional development webinars.