They Knew They Were Pilgrims
John G. Turner

I have an old Milady sweet tin on board my boat. It celebrates the Pilgrim Fathers landing at Cape Cod on 21st December 1620, showing the Mayflower at anchor, some very hale and hearty Pilgrims coming ashore. One, in particular, looking incredibly proud showing a beautiful lady the land before them. A chocolate box version of the Pilgrims for the public to consume, keeping the narrative alive, running alongside the traditions of Thanksgiving, Turkeys and Pumpkin Pie. Very cosy, very palatable but as Turners book reveals so far from the truth.
Turner, a professor of Religious Studies at George Mason University, has produced an almost forensically detailed factual historical book covering 70 years of the New Plymouth colony. It makes quite unsettling reading as he exposes the raw underbelly of the colony stripping away the fabric of myth that surrounds it.
The starting point is the flight from religious persecution of the separatist Puritans in England. The need to be free to pursue their worship in the way they wanted was paramount, hence the departure for the New World.
This is where the story unfolds. The battle for survival, the demands of loan repayments, the petty jealousies and quarrels, the need for trade and money, land and security, the influx of other colonists and expansion of new territories, division of religious ideals leading to the once persecuted becoming the persecutors and, more importantly, the Native Indians and the Pilgrims subjugation of them. A far cry from the sanitised version of the Pilgrims I read when I was at school.
As I have said, I found it an unsettling read. For the subjugation of the Native Indians, read land grabs, depleting natural resources, war and slavery. [This is nearly 200 years before the Battle of Little Big Horn and the Native Indian struggles with land grabs in the west.] Turner uncovers the documentation and records of Native Indians sold to the Spanish slave traders and to other Colonists, a hateful trade done by men purporting to be “God fearing”. This is, perhaps, a lesser known aspect of the Pilgrims and another shout out from history to our links with the slave trade. An echo from the past to shake the conscience of us in the present. Here. In 2020, we have seen the questioning of our Colonial past and the Slave Trade, statutes pulled down and demands on history being rewritten, hopefully, the Native Indians and their plight will be made more visible in this. Turner does point out in his conclusion that many Native Indians and others use the 27th November, not as Thanksgiving Day but as a National Day of Mourning. After reading this book, I understand why.
History is written by the victorious and survivors, over the years it is added too like a fresh coat of paint on a door. New romantic ideals from authors and poets add another version, artists another, till you can’t separate the truth from the fabrication.
Turner shows his findings, dispels the myths and makes you decide on just how you perceive the Pilgrim Fathers.

A complicated legacy, from the very beginning.

John G. Turner pulls no punches in They Knew They Were Pilgrims. As he reminds the reader - they knew they were pilgrims. This group of some strangers, some friends, some relatives, some congregations had been moving from one rejecting shore to another, until finally just to get them gone, the colonies seemed as good an answer as any. The passed along passengers were all familiar with the bible, and Hebrews 11:13 made sure all Christians were reminded often that they were "strangers and pilgrims on the earth". . .they knew they were pilgrims. It is our modern myth that elevates them to The Pilgrims. From there, the author will dismantle every drop of simple pilgrim coding you have in your memory bank.

My interest was held from the preface to the end papers on this complex and compelling text - a darker truth revealed about our Pilgrims, not the least of which are my own ancestors mixed up in this fabled community. Pilgrims were not simple people with simple lives, having simple desires and obligations. Their intentions were simple - and ruthless, even desperate - to carve out a place where liberty (their kind) could be enjoyed by (read: imposed on) all community members. Not a lot of wiggle room (as the Quakers found out).

The author undoes the onion, layer by layer, discussing the natives settled in the area that the Mayflower landed - not exactly Plymouth Rock - who were doing fine without the passengers who came ashore that day. They are so many more than just a few friendlies who brought the welcome basket - there were various tribes, chiefs (sachems), competing interests and politics a-play without new challenges. There were factions within the pilgrim groups that created friction and all out fighting, punishments (banishment, behanding and beheading with results up on the Fort walls - for decades). Present were the usual suspects (7 deadly sins) that get loose in any community if you stay in one place long enough. As always, when three or more are gathered religious strife is rife - Protestants v. Congregationalists v. Quakers v. Baptists (sprinkling v. immersion - baptizing timely meant risking your or your baby's life on hard winter days). Meanwhile, back at the ranch, England was always chiming in with, "Remember - we are the boss of you!" It was not just planting corn & salmon and Thanksgiving dinners.

This read is not quick and easy, but it is eye-opening, thoughtful and thoroughly done. The writing is accessible, with shared sources for those who are inclined to dive deeper. An excellent read if you are looking for how the Plymouth part of our origin story really unfolded (with all the warts and wrinkles). It's time to let go of the happy ending most of us have accepted from diligently curated historical sources (history is written by the victors, remember!). No more quashing problematic soul-searching with simple, happy myths. It just isn't so. Time to gird up your loins and breach the gap.

I learned more from this book than any other I have read on this topic, and I've been a fan of the Pilgrims all my life. Now I'm really rethinking the "fan" role. In all other previous reads, I've finished feeling proud, admiring accomplishments, recognizing bravery and generosity to those who needed it most (poor and starving natives, physically and spiritually). For all of my appreciation of this truly perspective-changing material, that previous comfortable smugness has fallen like scales. I am unarmed, surprised and pale - conspicuously sheepish (on many levels) as it relates to my race (that which doesn't exist, but is all about self-identification. . .or is it really other-identification?).

5 stars: seek.seasick.starve.strive.shrine.

A sincere thank you to John G. Turner, Yale University Press and NetGalley for providing me an ARC to read and review.

Excellent nonfiction! We all learned the basics of the Mayflower and the pilgrims who celebrated the first Thanksgiving after surviving a devastating winter at Plymouth Plantation. John G. Turner, in an incredibly well researched account of this band of pilgrims, what motivated them to arrive in the New World, how they coped that first year and the lessons that can be learned from their legacy.

Perfect for anyone interested in learning more than the superficial version of early American history.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC.

Thank you with gratitude to the publisher and to Net Galley for the opportunity to read this fascinating body of work about the Pilgrims. My relatives were part of the original Pilgrims and in researching their history I found this book to be of immense interest.
My review opinions are my own.

This book was written to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Pilgrims arrival in America. The author did extensive research and has presented here for the reader a most complex history of every aspect of their journey , arrival and settlement in America. The scope of this book goes well beyond the average narrative of the Pilgrims told to Americans in schools. I appreciate the author's detail of their treatment of the Native Americans. The intent they had to build cities and towns that would help them thrive for future generations while maintaining their religious beliefs. He documents how they became the foremost military power with closely guarded communities and highly trained personnel. Their hardships are documented here as well as their strict religious beliefs. He speaks here of their importance of their religion, their customs and their hope for their families future.

I found this most fascinating and highly recommend this book for all interested in American history and the journey of our Pilgrims. A exemplary body of work.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It covers the origin in England of the distinct group of people who became known as Pilgrims, who settled Plymouth, as well as their time in Holland before heading to America. The personalities of various individual Pilgrims are carefully and sympathetically sketched for the reader, and they come across as interesting people very far removed from what we would consider our American experience. They are also quite different from the beloved but hokey myths about Pilgrims, which are gently but convincingly debunked.

My favorite part of the book is the section on King Philip's War, a conflict that deserves more attention than it gets. This volume is a nice complement to another book more completely focused on King Philip's War, "Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War" by Lisa Brooks, which is a wonderful read as well. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley and thank them and Yale University Press for making it available.

Turner's work examines the formation of a group of religious separatists in England and follows them on their journey to the new world upon the Mayflower through the formation of the Massachusetts colony. Turner doesn't sugarcoat the negative aspects of the colonists' relationship with the Native Americans, the hardships they face, nor the internal conflicts experienced as they claim to want liberty while sticking to strict religious guidelines.

The work is well researched and extremely detailed. The narration is more for the academic reader than the casual reader, but that isn't always a bad thing. There were moments of speculation that seemed a bit unnecessary, but it was not overwhelming.
Overall, the book contributes to the narrative of the pilgrims' history and, therefore, is successful.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the e-ARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

In 1620, a band of religious separatists, having been unable to find the religious freedom they sought from both the English and the Dutch, boarded the Mayflower and set sail for the New World where they hoped to find the freedom to worship in their own way. The leaders of Plymouth Colony were able to make to a defense agreement with the local tribe, the Wampanoags, that overnight made them the “foremost military power in the region.” However, those same leaders made church attendance mandatory and banished anyone who refused to comply, like Anne Hutchinson who was tried and banished from the colony, and the Quakers.

This drily written history of the Plymouth Colony is best suited for academics and not the casual reader who might find the subject matter of interest.

My thanks to Yale University Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC.