Transcript

The Mayflower | Cutthroats | American History Tellers

From American History Tellers · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 36 min · 6,105 words · 46 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "The Mayflower | Cutthroats | American History Tellers", an episode of American History Tellers published November 26, 2025 (36 min, about 6,105 words). It mentions 58 people, works and ideas, including Pilgrims, Massasoit, Myles Standish, William Bradford, Plymouth, Massachusetts.

What this episode is about

The content explores life in Plymouth Colony in August 1622, highlighting the struggles of the settlers as they balance the urgent need for a defensive fort with the dire lack of food. Tensions rise over rationing and questions about the real threat posed by Native American tribes, as Governor William Bradford insists on prioritizing safety over immediate survival needs.

Key takeaways

  • Plymouth's fort-building was as much about Indian rumors as medieval-esque resource squabbles.
  • Governor Bradford faced a colonial hunger crisis—more bellyache than even Shakespeare could script.
  • New arrivals in 1622 resembled frat boys, but with more crop-destroying than study-upholding.
  • Squanto: A hero to pilgrims, foresight for political drama; undermining Indians and English alike.
  • French pirates: Turning Plymouth’s debt relief into maritime drama with a treasure-free twist.

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: Pilgrims, William Bradford, Squanto, American History Tellers
  2. – 10:00: Pilgrims, Jamestown, Squanto, Cape Cod
  3. – 15:00: Typhus, Dutch traders, Edward Winslow, Pilgrims
  4. – 20:00: Edward Winslow, Pilgrims, Massachusett, Phineas Pratt
  5. – 25:00: Pilgrims, Massachusett, Edward Winslow, John Robinson
  6. – 30:00: Pilgrims, Edward Winslow, Fur trade, Merchant Adventurers
  7. – 35:00: Pilgrims, Mayflower, Of Plymouth Plantation, William Bradford
  8. – 35:55: Airship, Alita Rosanski, American History Tellers, Andy Becker

Notable quotes from "The Mayflower | Cutthroats | American History Tellers"

  • The blade, a shadow falls over you. You look over your shoulder and find Governor William Bradford inspecting your work. Is that all you've managed? I thought you'd be further along by now.
    about William Bradford · at
  • In the summer of 1622, Governor William Bradford ordered the pilgrims to begin building a fort on a hill overlooking Plymouth to defend the settlement from potential Indian attacks. But with food supplies running low and no concrete.
    about Pilgrims · at
  • Masasoat sent warriors to Plymouth to demand the pilgrims turn over their interpreter, Squanto. Squanto had made false claims that Masasoat was plotting to attack Plymouth in…
    about Squanto · at
  • Worried it was French invaders, but instead it carried an advanced party for a new colony created by Thomas Weston, the pilgrim's chief financial sponsor back in London. It was…
    about Thomas Weston · at
  • Arrangement they had made before voyaging to America. Their investors, a joint stock company known as Merchant Adventurers, owned all of the colonists land, tools, and…
    about Merchant Adventurers · at
  • Settled roughly 20 mi up the coast in a place called Wes Aaguset, adjacent to the Massachusett Village. But circumstances in West August were even more dire than in Plymouth.…
    about Massachusett · at
  • In March 1623, news arrived in Plymouth that Massaso was gravely ill. Bradford sent one of his closest advisers, Edward Winslow, to his bedside. Winslow traveled 40 m on foot…
    about Edward Winslow · at
  • Region, and in the months that followed, news of the attack reached the pilgrim spiritual leader, Reverend John Robinson, who was still living in Holland. Robinson was stunned…
    about John Robinson · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Massasoit — Person · 14 mentions
  • Myles Standish — Person · 12 mentions
  • William Bradford — Person · 10 mentions · first at
  • Wituwamat — Person · 8 mentions
  • Edward Winslow — Person · 7 mentions · first at
  • Pequawket (Peksuot/Pexuat as in transcript) — Person · 7 mentions
  • Hobomok (Hobbamock) — Person · 6 mentions
  • Squanto — Person · 4 mentions · first at
  • Thomas Weston — Person · 2 mentions · first at
  • John Robinson — Person · 2 mentions · first at
  • John Sanders — Person · 1 mention · first at
    New settlers here. Cole bites at your cheek as you walk along the water's edge with their leader, John Sanders. Glance sideways at him, noticing his drawn face, the way his…
  • Phineas Pratt — Person · 1 mention · first at
    That Winslow brought back were soon confirmed when a Wes August settler named Phineas Pratt arrived in Plymouth hungry and exhausted. Pratt had trudged through more than 20 m…
  • John Winthrop — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Proved that the English colonists could sustain themselves in New England. And that spring, a wealthy lawyer named John Winthrop led 1,000 Puritans to Massachusetts Bay, 60 mi north of Plymouth. In September, they founded the town of.
  • William Brewster — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Towns, including William Bradford's close friends and advisers, Edward Winslow, Miles Stannis, and William Brewster. And as the community began to dissipate, Bradford feared…
  • Molly Bach — Person · 1 mention · first at
    And produced by me, Lindsey Graham for Airship. Audio editing by Mohammad Shazib. Sound design by Molly Bach. Music by Thrum. This episode is written by Ellie Stanton.
  • Ellie Stanton — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Mohammad Shazib. Sound design by Molly Bach. Music by Thrum. This episode is written by Ellie Stanton.
  • Dorian Marina — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Edited by Dorian Marina. Senior producers are Alita Rosanski and Andy Becker. Executive producers are Daniel Beckman and Marshall Louie for Wondery.
  • Alita Rosanski — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Edited by Dorian Marina. Senior producers are Alita Rosanski and Andy Becker. Executive producers are Daniel Beckman and Marshall Louie for Wondery.
  • Andy Becker — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Edited by Dorian Marina. Senior producers are Alita Rosanski and Andy Becker. Executive producers are Daniel Beckman and Marshall Louie for Wondery.
  • Daniel Beckman — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Producers are Alita Rosanski and Andy Becker. Executive producers are Daniel Beckman and Marshall Louie for Wondery.
  • Marshall Louie — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Producers are Alita Rosanski and Andy Becker. Executive producers are Daniel Beckman and Marshall Louie for Wondery.
  • David J. Silverman — Person · 1 mention
  • M Philip — Person · 1 mention
  • Metacom — Person · 1 mention
  • Mohammad Shazi — Person · 1 mention

Books & papers

Companies & orgs

  • Wampanoag — Company · 6 mentions
  • Massachusett — Company · 4 mentions · first at
  • Merchant Adventurers — Company · 3 mentions · first at
  • American History Tellers — Company · 2 mentions · first at
    From Wondery. I'm Lindsey Graham and this is American History Tellers. Our history, your story.
  • Bishop of London — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Then in 1855, Bradford's missing manuscript was discovered in the Bishop of London's library. Although the bishop refused to return it, he allowed a copy to be published, and it became a literary sensation, sparking a pilgrim.
  • Airship — Company · 1 mention · first at
    History Tellers is hosted, edited and produced by me, Lindsey Graham for Airship. Audio editing by Mohammad Shazib. Sound design by Molly Bach. Music by Thrum. This episode is written by Ellie Stanton.
  • Narragansett — Company · 1 mention
  • Thrum — Company · 1 mention

Products & tech

  • Fortune (ship) — Product · 4 mentions
  • Mayflower — Product · 2 mentions · first at
    Conquest and enslavement of the native people who had once sustained them. But the story of the Mayflower and Plymouth may have been forgotten entirely if not for William…

Concepts & topics

  • Pilgrims — Concept · 29 mentions · first at
  • Wampum — Concept · 4 mentions
  • Sachem — Concept · 3 mentions
  • Typhus — Concept · 2 mentions · first at
    Traveled 40 m on foot to the Wampenog village of Poconoken. There he found Masaso ill with what was likely typhus spread by Dutch traders who had recently visited the village.…
  • Dutch traders — Concept · 2 mentions · first at
    Village of Poconoken. There he found Masaso ill with what was likely typhus spread by Dutch traders who had recently visited the village. Masso had not eaten or slept in 2…
  • Fur trade — Concept · 2 mentions · first at
    Exchange for the understanding that they would be given a personal monopoly in the fur trade. To the amazement of many, this gamble worked. Winslow began traveling to Maine to…
  • Great Migration (Puritan) — Concept · 2 mentions
  • King Philip's War — Concept · 2 mentions
  • Puritan separatists — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Will not deny that there are many rude fellows. The pilgrims themselves were a mix of Puritan separatists and so-called strangers who did not share their strong religious…
  • French pirates — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Investors. But the newcomers brought news that their ship had been seized by French pirates. So just when the pilgrims thought that they were beginning to claw their way out of…
  • Plague — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    News that their pastor John Robinson had died in Leiden Holland from a severe outbreak of the plague. Robinson had always planned to join the pilgrims in America, but his…
  • Civil War (American) — Concept · 1 mention

Places & events

  • Plymouth, Massachusetts — Place · 10 mentions
  • Wessagusset Colony — Place · 10 mentions
  • Plymouth Colony — Place · 3 mentions · first at
    Imagine it's a sweltering August day in 1622 in Plymouth Colony. Sweat beats down your neck as you wrestle a dull saw back and forth across a thick pine log.
  • Jamestown — Place · 3 mentions · first at
    News. The pilgrims also received word of a disturbing turn of events in Jamestown, the only other permanent English settlement in America. Earlier that spring, Indians had…
  • Cape Cod — Place · 3 mentions · first at
    Weset persuaded the pilgrims to accompany them on a joint trading expedition to the south of Cape Cod in the fall of 1622. They managed to secure some muchneeded provisions…
  • Virginia Colony — Place · 1 mention · first at
    English settlement in America. Earlier that spring, Indians had massacred 347 English colonists in the Virginia colony, a death toll more than four times the entire population of Plymouth.
  • Leiden — Place · 1 mention · first at
    In 1626 the pilgrims were shaken by the news that their pastor John Robinson had died in Leiden Holland from a severe outbreak of the plague. Robinson had always planned to…
  • Massachusetts Bay — Place · 1 mention · first at
    That spring, a wealthy lawyer named John Winthrop led 1,000 Puritans to Massachusetts Bay, 60 mi north of Plymouth. In September, they founded the town of Boston, its population three times the size of the decade old community.
  • Pokanoket — Place · 1 mention

Full transcript with timestamps

Wonder. Imagine it's a sweltering August day in 1622 in Plymouth Colony. Sweat beats down your neck as you wrestle a dull saw back and forth across a thick pine log. You and your neighbors are preparing timber for a new fort you're building on one of the hills overlooking the town. But it's slow going. Your saw keeps getting wedged in the log. And as you throw your weight against it to loosen the blade, a shadow falls over you. You look over your shoulder and find Governor William Bradford inspecting your work. Is that all you've managed? I thought you'd be further along by now.

You let go of the saw and rub your sore hands. Well, maybe I would have if I had a full belly. Hardly had anything to eat all day. Tell me, Governor, when are you going to increase our rations? Well, nothing's changed, so we'll stay on half rations, at least for now. But I have faith that the Lord, in his infinite mercy, will bless us with a bountiful harvest this autumn. But what if he doesn't? Why must we spend every hour building this fort? Wouldn't our time be better spent working in the fields, hunting, gathering food? The newcomers have eaten up our stockpiles. I know that you are working hard on little food, but we need this fort to keep our settlements safe from Indian war parties. Because you mark my words, the mere presence of a well-defended fort will be enough to discourage any warriors from setting foot in Plymouth.

But are you so sure we're in danger? What if all these rumors about an Indian plot against us are nothing but talk? Bradford's expression hardens. He steps towards you, close enough for you to see the dark circles under his eyes. Son, I assure you the threat is real. Now get back to work. As Bradford walks away, you swallow your protest and pick up your saw. But as much as you try to ignore it, hunger gnaws at your insides. As you stare past your weary fellow workers to the half-built fort looming over the settlement, you feel certain of only one thing. You're far more likely to die of starvation than an Indian's arrow.

from Wondery. I'm Lindsey Graham and this is American History Tellers. Our history, your story. In the summer of 1622, Governor William Bradford ordered the pilgrims to begin building a fort on a hill overlooking Plymouth to defend the settlement from potential Indian attacks. But with food supplies running low and no concrete evidence of an Indian threat, many colonists argued that their time and energy would be better spent tending crops. Plymouth's hunger crisis had intensified after a sudden influx of English settlers earlier that spring.

These newcomers had drained resources and antagonized their Indian neighbors, undermining the pilgrim's fragile foothold in the new world and setting the stage for a violent confrontation. This is episode 4, Cutthroats. In May 1622, the Wampenog leader Masasoat sent warriors to Plymouth to demand the pilgrims turn over their interpreter, Squanto. Squanto had made false claims that Masasoat was plotting to attack Plymouth in an effort to undermine Massaso's alliance with the English so that he could take power for himself. When Massaso discovered the plot, he insisted on Squanto's execution, but Plymouth Governor William Bradford refused to turn over his trusted interpreter. Bradford and the pilgrims had come to depend on Squanto for their own survival. So, Massaso's warriors went home empty-handed, meaning for now, Squanto would remain with the pilgrims, even though Bradford knew his decision could damage his relationship

with the Masso. But Bradford had more immediate problems to address. Massaso's warriors left Plymouth just as a small ship sailed into the harbor. Bradford worried it was French invaders, but instead it carried an advanced party for a new colony created by Thomas Weston, the pilgrim's chief financial sponsor back in London. It was the first ship to appear in the harbor since the arrival of the Fortune 6 months earlier, carrying three dozen new colonists to Plymouth. In a letter sent with the Fortune, Weston had pledged his loyalty to the pilgrims, but now they learned he was sponsoring a separate competing settlement made up of 60 men. Not only had Weston secured his own patent for a rival colony, but he also had the audacity to request that the pilgrims host these men while they search for a suitable place to build their settlement. Bradford reluctantly agreed even though Plymouth was already

subsisting on halfrations. And almost immediately, the newcomers strained the colony's meager food supplies. In the spring of 1622, the pilgrims relied on shellfish while planting corn for the fall harvest. But Weston's new arrivals ruined the crop by eating the immature stocks, destroying the plants before they had a chance to grow and putting the colony in danger of starvation. And that wasn't the only strain. Unlike the pilgrims, Weston's new group were overwhelmingly young single men driven by the pursuit of profit. In a letter to Bradford, even Weston admitted they were not of the best character, writing, "I will not deny that there are many rude fellows. The pilgrims themselves were a mix of Puritan separatists and so-called strangers who did not share their strong religious convictions. But after a year and a half in New England, the separatists and strangers had learned to live and work together, in large part

due to Bradford's strong leadership. But now, Weston's newcomers jeopardized Plymouth's fragile harmony. And then that summer, the pilgrims received even more troubling news. The previous December, they had sent the fortune back to England with £500 worth of cargo to help pay off their debt to their investors. But the newcomers brought news that their ship had been seized by French pirates. So just when the pilgrims thought that they were beginning to claw their way out of debt, they lost everything. Under the arrangement they had made before voyaging to America. Their investors, a joint stock company known as Merchant Adventurers, owned all of the colonists land, tools, and livestock. Until the pilgrims paid off their debts, they could not profit from their labor. Even their homes were considered company assets. And now the loss of the fortune set them even further back from their goal of true financial independence. But

even that was not the end of the bad news. The pilgrims also received word of a disturbing turn of events in Jamestown, the only other permanent English settlement in America. Earlier that spring, Indians had massacred 347 English colonists in the Virginia colony, a death toll more than four times the entire population of Plymouth. News of this violence heightened the pilgrims fears about their own native neighbors. And that summer, rumors spread that the Naragansit and Massachusetts tribes were planning to attack the Plymouth settlement. The pilgrims alliance with Massaso gave them some protection. But because of Bradford's refusal to surrender the traitor Squanto, they didn't know if they could still count on Massaso for support. So Bradford decided that the 8-ft wall the colonists had built around Plymouth was not enough. He believed that if the pilgrims were going to defend themselves from a massacre like

the one that devastated Jamestown, Plymouth needed a fort, a reinforced structure where everyone could take refuge in the event of an attack. Work on this fort began in June, but it wasn't long until many settlers started questioning the wisdom of the project given their pressing need for food. The colonists were already malnourished, and the hard demands of manual labor further drained their limited food supplies. At the same time, construction on the fort diverted valuable time and energy from work in the fields. Typically, the men performed farm labor while the women tended to the children at home. But with most able-bodied men occupied with construction of the fort, few were left to tend to the crops. So when fall arrived, while work on the fort was almost finished, the corn harvest fell far short of expectations. By then, Weston's newcomers had left Plymouth and settled roughly 20 mi up the coast in a

place called Wes Aaguset, adjacent to the Massachusett Village. But circumstances in West August were even more dire than in Plymouth. Weston's men had come to America to establish a colony of their own, but they were illprepared for the difficulties of colonial life. Instead of planting crops or gathering food after settling in Wesaguset, they directed their energies into building a fort of their own. So desperately in need of food, the men of Weset persuaded the pilgrims to accompany them on a joint trading expedition to the south of Cape Cod in the fall of 1622. They managed to secure some muchneeded provisions, but during the journey, Squanto suddenly fell ill with a fever and started bleeding from his nose. Bradford stayed with him by his bedside, but Squanto died a few days later. For Bradford, it was another devastating loss following the deaths of his family, his wife, and the former

governor of the colony. Bradford had valued Squanto so much that he put his alliance with Masso at risk. But now he had not only lost his friend and trusted interpreter, he had no idea whether he had irreparably damaged his relationship with Masso. But for all Bradford's fears, Plymouth was still far better off than their neighbors to the north because Plymouth benefited from discipline, shared religious convictions, and strong leadership, while West August was quickly descending into chaos and conflict. Imagine it's February 1623 in the settlement of West August. You're the governor of Plymouth Colony and you've traveled more than 20 m up the coast to check on the new settlers here. Cole bites at your cheek as you walk along the water's edge with their leader, John Sanders. Glance sideways at him, noticing his drawn face, the way his tattered coat hangs loosely around his thinning body. When

he speaks, his voice is thin. We cannot go on like this. We're starving here. I thought there might be some migrating birds we could hunt, but none have passed through. You glance up at the empty sky and nod sympathetically. No, not this time of year. And but soon it'll be spring and you'll plant your corn crop. You must have patience. But what are we supposed to eat until then? Well, there's plenty of food if you know where to seek it. The shore is teeming with shellfish. You and your men are lucky to have oysters in these waters.

There are none to be found in Plymouth, and you can dig up peanuts. That's hardly enough to make a meal. Well, perhaps not in the way that you're used to, but we've been surviving on clams and peanuts in Plymouth ever since our disappointing corn harvest. You and your men must strive to feed yourselves. Oh, my men have grown too listless to even search for food. And who can blame them? But I have an idea. The Indians have plenty of corn in their village. Why should we waste our strength rooting for clams in the cold mud when there's so much corn for the taking? You stop abruptly. Put a hand on Sander's arm, gripping it tightly. No, you must not steal the Indians corn. It would be extremely dangerous to do anything that might invite their wrath. Sanders lifts his chin defiantly. Well, I could offer to reimburse them later once we've grown our own corn this summer. I would make it a fair bargain. No, no, do not even

consider it. If you trouble the Indians, we will all suffer the consequences. You and your men must feed yourselves as we have in Plymouth. There's no other way. Sanders shakes his head and looks past you, staring at the horizon with hollow eyes. A heavy feeling of dread settles over you. You know that hunger can cloud a man's judgment, and you're terrified that Sanders is going to upset the delicate peace you've worked so hard to maintain, and that you and the residents of Plymouth will all be forced to pay the price.

After moving to West August, Weston's men threw themselves into building their own fort, but this project left them unprepared for the harsh New England winter ahead. As they grappled with hunger, William Bradford urged them to subsist on shellfish and peanuts, but the men refused to leave the safety of their fort to gather food. And soon, relations with the nearby Massachusetts tribe deteriorated. The Indians accused their neighbors of stealing from their corn stores, and the settlers mocked and looted the Indians in return. The colonists grew so desperate that they began trading away their clothes and bedding for food. Some contracted themselves out as servants to the Indians, but still hunger persisted. One morning, one of Weston's men was found dead in the tidal flats. He become stuck in the mud and was too weak to free himself. Bradford interpreted the suffering of Weston's men as divine

punishment for their godless ways. But the struggles of Wes August would soon have wider repercussions. In March 1623, news arrived in Plymouth that Massaso was gravely ill. Bradford sent one of his closest advisers, Edward Winslow, to his bedside. Winslow traveled 40 m on foot to the Wampenog village of Poconoken. There he found Masaso ill with what was likely typhus spread by Dutch traders who had recently visited the village. Masso had not eaten or slept in 2 days, and he had temporarily lost his vision. But Winslow stayed at the alien leader side, feeding him pickled fish and preparing a healing broth of strawberry leaves and sassifrass roots. Massaso at sight returned and he started to improve. The next day, Winslow patiently tended to other sick people in the village, carefully scraping the fur off their tongues, a characteristic symptom of typhus, though he wrote that he found the task much offensive to me, not being

accustomed with such poisonous odors. He even bathed Massaso and shot down a duck for him to eat. So, under Winslow's attentive care, Massoa quickly regained his strength. Many Indians had traveled to Pocona to say their goodbyes to Massasu. So he had a large audience when he made a public announcement of gratitude to Winslow. He declared, "Now I see the English are my friends and love me, and whilst I live, I will never forget this kindness they have shown me." Winslow had restored the pilgrim standing at a critical moment. and the grateful Masso repaid him with a crucial piece of intelligence, revealing that Winslow's people were in grave danger from a conspiracy to eradicate the English from the region. Driven to their limits by Weston's men, the Massachusetts tribe had resolved to destroy their neighbors in Wesusset.

But fearing that the pilgrims would avenge their countrymen, the Massachusetts had decided to attack both Wessaguset and Plymouth. Massaso had insisted that Winslow's only option was to make a preemptive strike against the Massachusetts. He urged him to return to Plymouth as soon as possible and prepared to go to war for his colony survival.

In March 1623, Edward Winslow rushed back to Plymouth with the news of a potential plot by the Massachusetts to attack the English settlements of both Wes August and Plymouth. The warnings that Winslow brought back were soon confirmed when a Wes August settler named Phineas Pratt arrived in Plymouth hungry and exhausted. Pratt had trudged through more than 20 m of icy swamps after hearing about the conspiracy in order to warn his fellow Englishmen in Plymouth. Staggering into the settlement, Platt reported that conditions in West August had grown unbearable. He and his fellow colonists had run out of food and their Massachusetts neighbors were becoming increasingly belligerent. Sensing an attack was looming, West August leaders posted more guards to keep watch over the colony. But the starving sentinels were dying at their posts. Pratt recalled how on one freezing night I saw one man dead before me and another at my

right hand and another at my left dead for want of food. Pratt had learned of the Massachusett conspiracy from an Englishman who had gone to live with the Indians. Pratt then relayed the information to the pilgrims, explaining that the Massachusett planned to wipe out both settlements in a single day and that they were simply waiting for the snow to melt so that the warriors footprints could not be tracked. Governor William Bradford was furious to get confirmation that Plymouth was in danger due to the reckless actions of Thomas Weston's men. But the good news was that thanks to Edward Winslow, Massaso was now firmly back on the pilgrim side. Massaso had urged Winslow to make a preemptive strike. And although no Indians had directly threatened them, Bradford decided to trust Massaso and heed his advice.

Bradford consulted with Plymouth's military leader, Miles Stish, who agreed that swift action was needed. For Stish, the threat was also personal. A Massachusetts warrior named Watuamat had recently insulted Stish during a trading expedition, and Standish had an axe to grind. Bradford gave Stish free reign to make an example of Wuamat. And so, Stish quickly put together a force of seven Englishmen and his Wampenog friend, Habamok, an English speaker and close aid to Massaso. On March 26th, 1623, the party sailed 20 m north to West August under the guise of a trading mission. Upon arrival, they marched up to the settlement and gathered the men there inside the fort they had built.

Then Stannis revealed his plan to kill as many Indians as possible. Afterwards, he would evacuate the pilgrims and Weston's men either to Plymouth or Maine to keep them safe from reprisals. The starving settlers in Wessaguset readily agreed to the plan in the hopes that once they had relocated, they would finally have something to eat. But the pilgrims arrival in Weset had not gone unnoticed. Soon a Massachusetts warrior approached the fort offering to initiate a trade. Imagine it's March 1623 in the village of Wes August. You're a Massachusetts spy who lives nearby, and your people are secretly planning an attack on the English settlers here. But an hour ago, you watched another group of Englishmen arrive from the village of Plymouth.

Determined to gain information, you step through the mud, approaching the settlement's crude fort. You adjust a pair of beaver pelts under your arm and then knock on the wooden gate. A short, broad- shouldered man with red hair emerges, his hand brushing the hilt of his sword. You bow your head slightly. Good morning. I don't believe I've had the honor of meeting you before. My name's Captain Miles Stish. Captain, you're a military man and we have something in common. Are there other soldiers with you? Suspicion flickers across Stish's face, and his hand twitches. For a moment, you wonder if he will draw his sword. But then his expression softens into something more welcoming. Uh, yeah, that's right. I am a soldier, but I'll be asking the questions from now on. What do you want here? You raise the pelts hanging over your arm. I've come to trade furs. And what do you seek in return? Knives?

Perhaps gunpowder? Gunpowder? I'm certainly not throwing that away for a pair of pelts. Stish's pale face flushes red. You curl your mouth into a smile, enjoying watching him squirm. Well, I would also accept an iron kettle or a plow. Stish's shoulders ease slightly, though his hand still hovers near his sword. Well, I'll have to consult with the others first. Perhaps you should return later. Or or better yet, I'll come to you. Oh, please do. And be sure you don't forget. We'll be waiting for you. I never forget my friends, and I don't forget my enemies either. Oh, which one am I, Captain? I am not yet sure.

Standish's words hang in the air. And for a moment, you stare at each other, barely breathing. Then, with a curtain nod, you finally turn and walk away. But you can feel the weight of Standish's hard gaze at your back. You strongly suspect that he and his men are up to no good, and you're struck by the possibility that they've discovered your plot. Now more than ever, you know you must move against them before they have the chance to strike the first blow. When the Massachusetts spy returned to his group after meeting Miles Stish, he declared that he saw by his eyes that the captain was angry in his heart. The Massachusetts were led by two men named Watuamat and Pexuat. They were both elite warriors believed to have special wisdom, stamina, and spiritual abilities. After hearing the spies report, Pexuad approached the English settlement and confronted the pilgrim's Indian ally, Havomok. He said that he

knew what Stanish was up to, declaring, "Let him begin when he dares. He shall not take us unaware." Then later that same day, Pexuat and Watouat spoke to Stanish directly. Pexuat was much taller than Stanish and looked down at the Englishman and sneered, "You are a great captain, yet you are but a little man, though I be no sichum, I am of great strength and courage." Adding to the intimidation, with two stood next to Pexwat, sharpening a knife. But Stish refused to be goatated. He had a plan to carry out. The next day, Stannis and his men, including Homok, invited Watuat and Pexwat into one of the settlement's homes for a meal. Although the two warriors were wary, pork was a rare treat that they found too tempting to refuse. But when they sat down, Standish quickly signaled for one of his men to close the door. Then he reached out, grabbed the knife strung around Pexwat's neck, and began stabbing the warrior

with his own weapon. While Stish attacked Pexawat, the other pilgrims attacked Watouat and one of his friends, killing them. Edward Winslow wrote, "It is incredible how many wounds these two warriors received before they died, not making any fearful noise, but catching at their weapons and striving to the last." Then once the three Indians were dead, Habamok returned to Stannis with a grin on his face, saying, "Yesterday Pexwat bragged of his own strength and stature, said, "Though you were a great captain, yet you were but a little man.

Today I see you are big enough to lay him on the ground." But the killing wasn't over yet. The pilgrims captured and hanged with teenage brother and shot three more dead. A group of Massachusetts arrived and began firing arrows at the Englishman, but Hoba quickly scattered them. In the end, the raid claimed seven Massachusett lives, and as a final act, Standish cut off Wuamat's head as a trophy. Fearing retaliation, most of the remaining West Augustus colonists decided to sail for Maine. And once they were gone, Stannis and his men set off for Plymouth with Watouamat's head wrapped in a piece of white linen. Stannis returned to a hero's welcome, and the pilgrims proudly mounted Watuamat's head on a pike and placed it on the roof of their fort for all to see. Shortly after, Bradford sent a message to the Massachusetts Sichum, warning that if he tried to attack the English again, he would give them no

peace until he and his people were utterly destroyed. A few days later, a Massachusetts woman arrived in Plymouth and announced that the Sichchum was eager to make peace. By then, the pilgrims had earned a new name among the Massachusettan or cutthroats. But the Massachusett tribe affected by the violence. The pilgrims raid had sent shock waves throughout the region. Various Indian communities fled their villages in terror for remote islands and swamps, and unable to plant their crops, they faced hunger, disease, and death. Over the next few months, several influential satums died, allowing Massasoa to consolidate his authority over the region, and in the months that followed, news of the attack reached the pilgrim spiritual leader, Reverend John Robinson, who was still living in Holland. Robinson was stunned by the violence his flock had unleashed upon the Indians, and he admonished William

Bradford in a letter, writing, "How happy a thing it had been if you had converted some before you had killed any. Besides, where blood has begun to be shed, it is seldom staunched, he continued. It is a thing more glorious in men's eyes than pleasing in God's to be a terror to poor barbarous people. But the men and women in Plymouth had no regrets. 5 months later, in August 1623, Watou's head remained on display when Bradford married a widow named Alice Southworth in front of the entire community. They were joined by Massaso and 120 of his warriors. Although the pilgrims typically shunned decoration, the linen rag soaked with the blood of Watuamat flew above the settlement like a flag. The killing spree in West August had radically transformed the balance of power in the region in favor of the pilgrims and their allies, the Wampenog.

And not only had the pilgrims ensured their safety from attack, but the year 1623 also marked the end of their crippling food shortage due to a new approach. Rather than growing crops as a collective, Bradford decided to assign each household its own plot and let the families keep what they grew. Productivity soared with women and children joining in the work. After three tumultuous years in America, the pilgrims had finally proven that they could feed their community and defend themselves from attack. But they still had not found a path to long-term financial success. And deep down they knew that without a profitable trade it was still in doubt whether the colony could survive.

In 1626 the pilgrims were shaken by the news that their pastor John Robinson had died in Leiden Holland from a severe outbreak of the plague. Robinson had always planned to join the pilgrims in America, but his responsibilities to the rest of the congregation in Holland had caused him to delay in the years since their arrival. And without Robinson's moderating influence, the colony's religious fervor hardened into intolerance. One resident was expelled for holding a meeting to establish an alternative church, and one of his supporters was publicly beaten. In response, the pilgrims investors, the merchant adventurers, rebuked the colonists for their cruel and hard-hearted actions. Also, Governor William Bradford increasingly relied on military leader Miles Stish to enforce his agenda. One observer wrote, "I have found the Massachusetts Indians more full of humanity than the Christians."

Standish's militarism was so woven into daily life that on Sundays each man worshiped with a musket by his side. By the fall of 1626, the merchant adventurers disbanded after giving up hope that Plymouth would ever turn a profit. Bradford, Stannis, Edward Winslow, and five other leaders agreed to assume the colony's heavy debt in exchange for the understanding that they would be given a personal monopoly in the fur trade. To the amazement of many, this gamble worked. Winslow began traveling to Maine to trade with local Indians, exchanging surplus corn for beaver fur, a popular material used in European fashion. In 1626, Dutch traders introduced the pilgrims to wampom, white and purple shell beads valued by local Indians. These beads became a vital form of currency that revolutionized trade between the English and the Indians. And over the next 2 years, the pilgrims established new trading posts, one in

Cape Cod for securing wampam and another in Maine for trading wampam for beaver. Around the same time, beaver prices quadrupled due to wartime disruptions in the European beaver trade. So at last, the pilgrims were able to ship enough beaver fur to England to climb out of debt. By 1630, the profitable fur trade proved that the English colonists could sustain themselves in New England. And that spring, a wealthy lawyer named John Winthrop led 1,000 Puritans to Massachusetts Bay, 60 mi north of Plymouth. In September, they founded the town of Boston, its population three times the size of the decade old community in Plymouth. But William Bradford took pride in having pioneered the way in Plymouth. He wrote, "As one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shown unto many." Bradford was proud that the pilgrims had established a Protestant foothold in America. In total, he served 31 years as governor.

He had seen the colony weather countless threats, surviving against the odds. But as the years went by, he could not help feeling that their experiment in creating a tight-knit, godly community had ultimately failed. Imagine it's a cold, gray Sunday morning in February 1636 in Plymouth. You're the governor of the colony and you're leaving church services with your good friend Edward Winslow. Normally worshiping alongside your community fills you with a sense of peace and gratitude, but today you can't help but feel troubled by the poor attendance.

You turn to Winslow. Does this morning's turnout seem thinner to you than usual? Winslow shrugs, his eyes focused on buttoning his coat. Well, perhaps there were a few less worshippers than last Sunday. I know there will soon be even fewer. What do you mean? Well, I have good news to share. I've obtained a sizable track of land 20 mi up the coast near the salt marshes. I mean to settle my family there. You stop in your tracks. What are you talking about? Plymouth is your home. Well, yes, and it's been a good home. But this acreage up north will give my cattle more room to graze. I believe my children will thrive there, too. I'm going to name the estate after my family's farm back in Woristers. Wait until you see it. I'm already drawing up plans. But Edward, I I I don't understand. For 16 years, we've labored together, side by side, through harsh winters, hunger, pestilence. We built this community

together. How could you think of turning your back on it? Well, we've run out of room in Plymouth. We've scraped at the poor soil here while all the good land lies waiting up north. I'd be foolish not to claim it. And this is what's best for my family. But what about what's best for your community? We came here for the glory of God and the advancement of his kingdom. Now you break that covenant for the sake of material gain. You speak of earthly gain as if it were a sin. Did we not cross the ocean so that our children might have a future?

And what future lies on this barren coast? I'm growing this colony. This is not an end, but a beginning. Winslow claps his hand on your shoulders before striding off to join his wife and children. You turn your gaze from him to the thin crowd of worshippers filing back to their weather-beaten houses. It feels like the bonds of your community are fraying and that everything you've worked for is coming apart. During the 1630s, tens of thousands of Puritans left England and established settlements across New England in what was known as the Great Migration.

Boston's deep harbor made it the region's economic hub, whereas Plymouth, with its shallow port, remained little more than a backwater. And this great migration spurred a boom in agriculture. And many pilgrims moved away from Plymouth to establish new farms and towns, including William Bradford's close friends and advisers, Edward Winslow, Miles Stannis, and William Brewster. And as the community began to dissipate, Bradford feared the pilgrims were chasing wealth and forgetting their spiritual principles. Bradford also despared over Plymouth's fading influence, writing, "And thus was this poor church left like an ancient mother grown old and forsaken of her children.

She that had made many rich became herself poor." Bradford wrote that the creation of new towns was not for want or necessity, but for the enriching of themselves, and predicted that it would be the ruin of New England. Bradford's solution was to write a history of Plymouth. Between 1630 and 1652, Bradford wrote a detailed account of the colony's early years called of Plymouth Plantation. He hoped that long after he was gone, this account would educate younger generations about the ideals the community was founded on. On May 9th, 1657, Bradford died at the age of 67, and on his deathbed, he left the manuscript to his sons. The growth of New England that had troubled Bradford in life continued long after his death.

By 1670, some 60,000 English colonists had spread across New England, while Indian populations had fallen dramatically, and competition between the English and Indians over limited land and resources fueled conflict. After the death of Masso in the early 1660s, the decades old English and Wampenog alliance collapsed. In 1675, Massoa's own son, Metacon, who adopted the name King Phillip, led a desperate lastditch effort to drive the English out of his ancestral homelands. His quest became known as King Phillip's War. But the English ultimately defeated the Indians, and the brutal 14-month conflict devastated the region. To this day, it has the highest death rate per capita of any war in American history.

The colonists killed an estimated 3,000 Indians and sold another 1,000 into slavery. After more than half a century of fragile peace, the pilgrims pursuit of freedom had helped bring about the conquest and enslavement of the native people who had once sustained them. But the story of the Mayflower and Plymouth may have been forgotten entirely if not for William Bradford's history of Plymouth Plantation. passed down in his family from one generation to the next, it eventually found its way into a library in Boston, but then vanished in 1777 amid the chaos of the American Revolution. In the 19th century, as tensions escalated between the North and South, historians in New England and Virginia argued passionately over whether the nation's roots lay in Plymouth or to the south and Jamestown, which preceded Plymouth by 13 years.

Then in 1855, Bradford's missing manuscript was discovered in the Bishop of London's library. Although the bishop refused to return it, he allowed a copy to be published, and it became a literary sensation, sparking a pilgrim craze across the North. In the middle of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln established the holiday of Thanksgiving in honor of the pilgrim's 1621 harvest and in hopes of unifying the nation and nurturing a national identity. The Union's victory in the war and New England's cultural dominance in the years that follow helped cement the pilgrim narrative as the quintessential national origin story. And that legend of the battered ship that carried 102 men, women, and children to the shores of Cape Cod continues to loom large in the national imagination. But beneath a tale of courage and cooperation lies a more complicated story. The pilgrims were ordinary people thrust into

extraordinary circumstances attempting to create a modest spiritual community according to their own strict rules and religious customs. But in the end, their struggle to adapt to a harsh new world and its pre-existing power dynamics revealed the devastating lengths they were willing to go to in their quest for freedom. From this is episode 4 of our four-part series, The Mayflower from American History Tellers. In the next episode, I speak with David Silverman, professor of history at George Washington University. He's the author of This Land Is Their Land: The Wampenog Indians, Plymouth Colony, and the Troubled History of Thanksgiving. We'll discuss what the first encounter with the pilgrims might have been like from the Wampaog perspective.

American History Tellers is hosted, edited and produced by me, Lindsey Graham for Airship. Audio editing by Mohammad Shazib. Sound design by Molly Bach. Music by Thrum. This episode is written by Ellie Stanton. Edited by Dorian Marina. Senior producers are Alita Rosanski and Andy Becker. Executive producers are Daniel Beckman and Marshall Louie for Wondery.

Questions about this episode

What is "The Mayflower | Cutthroats | American History Tellers" about?

The content explores life in Plymouth Colony in August 1622, highlighting the struggles of the settlers as they balance the urgent need for a defensive fort with the dire lack of food. Tensions rise over rationing and questions about the real threat posed by Native American tribes, as Governor William Bradford insists on prioritizing safety over immediate survival needs.

What is mentioned in this American History Tellers episode?

58 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Pilgrims, Massasoit, Myles Standish, William Bradford, Plymouth, Massachusetts, Wessagusset Colony. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "The Mayflower | Cutthroats | American History Tellers"?

The episode runs 36 min; the transcript is about 6,105 words in 46 timestamped sections.

More from American History Tellers

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated December 19, 2025.