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Mayflower Myths

Mayflower Myths

Often times history is interpreted in many different way. This can lead to the creation of historical myths and misconceptions.

Matthew Brown

October 07, 2011
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Transcript

  1. so……………….. • Pilgrims wore the styles of the 17th century

    • Like today, style depended on wealth and personal choice. • Pilgrims did NOT dress in all black and white. • Buckles were NOT in fashion during the time of the Mayflower landing • Black and white was commonly worn only on Sundays • Artists in the 1800’s painted the Mayflower pilgrims in black and white (with buckles) to make them look “old fashioned”.
  2. The REAL ride on the Mayflower • The Mayflower was

    meant to hull cargo (stuff!!!) NOT people. It was NOT a passenger ship. (Imagine riding to California in a UPS truck!) • Not a cozy ride! People were crammed together. • There were different people on the Mayflower, they were not ALL pilgrims. Only 30 of the people were “pilgrims”. • The trip last 66 days. During the voyage the passengers experienced terrible weather (high seas, dangerous waves, extreme conditions). • One person died, a “youth” named William Button. One baby was born, a boy named Oceanus Hopkins. • During the voyage, the boat leaked which left many cold and wet. Many of the passengers suffered illnesses because of the poor conditions aboard. .
  3. The REAL story… • The Mayflower landed at the tip

    of Cape Cod now known as Provincetown, Massachusetts. A few weeks later, they traveled onto the mainland that is Plymouth. • The coastline of Massachusetts has MANY rocks, nobody was looking for a specific rock. • “The Plymouth Rock” was first made “official” in 1775. • The date “1620” was etched onto the rock in 1880!!!!! • The Plymouth Rock monument is NOT the ROCK nor the EXACT spot but rather a symbol of their landing in the New World.
  4. The REAL Thanksgiving story • NOT a religious celebration but

    a celebration of FOOD. It was a harvest festival. • It wasn’t about family either, it was more of a multicultural community event. • The main dish was venison (deer) NOT turkey. • Pumpkin pie was not served because pumpkin was boiled and eaten plain. • Activities included gambling, target shooting, and athletic games. • It became a national holiday beginning in 1863 when Abraham Lincoln established it. • On the menu would have been corn, carrots, cabbage, beets, onions, cornmeal pie. • A few items that definitely were NOT on the menu were bread, beef, pig, milk and cheese. It is unlikely that ANY of the supplies brought while on the Mayflower would have survived the voyage.
  5. Your thoughts???? • How close is your Thanksgiving to the

    first Thanksgiving? • Did you know? Thanksgiving was “remade” in 1863 when A. Lincoln made it a national holiday. (That is where you get turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, etc.) • Do you think knowing the REAL story of Thanksgiving even matters, given the modern world we live in? Why or why not?
  6. Aboard the Mayflower • Puritans: Came to New World to

    purify (reform) the Church of England. • Separatists: Came to New World to set up their own churches. • Pilgrims: Wanted to totally break away from the Church of England (more push factor than pull factor). • “Strangers” : Common people (servants, craftspeople, farmers, unskilled laborers, and indentured servants) trying to either escape poverty and/or came in the hopes of making a better life.
  7. Any others to the New World  Religious folks 

    “Strangers”  “Treasure Seekers” •African Slaves – Africans were brought against their will to work in Jamestown in 1619. – Though they were listed as “servants” it wouldn’t be long before they were treated like slaves. – It was decided that Africans, rather than Native Americans, would make better slaves and thus the American Slave trade began. . . . . .