Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Book Review - History Smashers: The Mayflower

People ask me for recommendations of good books about “Thanksgiving” on a regular basis. Unfortunately, there aren’t really any children’s books on this topic that are historically accurate or books that avoid stereotypes and racist portrayals of Native peoples. Much of the Mayflower, Plymouth Colony, and “Thanksgiving” history is made up or exaggerated. There is a lot of mythology around US history that gets taught as real history. This topic is one of those mythologies.

Recently I saw an advertisement for a book called History Smashers: The Mayflower. This History Smashers series appears to be attempting to address these common mythologies told as history. The books are geared toward middle grade readers. So, I ordered the Mayflower book and gave it a good read. Due to the pattern of most books on this topic being highly inaccurate or continuing to perpetuate stereotypes, I did not go into with high expectations. I was pleasantly surprised.

Ch – 1 – Who Were the Pilgrims, Anyway?

This chapter does a good job correcting many common myths about the colonists on the Mayflower, including what they were called (hint: not pilgrims) and that they had been freely living in Holland for some time before 1620. This chapter also does something I do not often see addressed – how primary sources are not always reliable. It discusses how many primary sources have cultural misunderstandings, biases, and inaccuracies from the writer. From the book: “Still it is important to remember that historical writers had their own motivations and biases, just as people do today. And like modern people, seventeenth-century writers didn’t know everything, so some of their writings include misunderstandings or assumptions that are just plain wrong. Really, a primary source isn’t necessarily the truth of what happened; it’s an account of what the writer noticed and believed at that time. And sometimes people lie in primary sources…” I was impressed by the explanation of why primary sources are not always the best sources for accurate or truthful history. Many students are taught to rely on primary sources as authoritative, rather than viewing them with a critical eye.

Ch – 2 – Voyage on the Mayflower (But Not the Speedwell)

This chapter addresses the fact that the colonists were “given permission” to settle in Virginia, but the person giving the permission had no right to do so. It also addresses the Doctrine of Discovery and how it was used to invade and take over Native lands.

Ch – 3 – Journey Across the Sea

I was not as impressed with this chapter. It still uses the word “pilgrims” throughout rather than accurate terms for the time. If you correct the terminology earlier in the book, why go back to using historically inaccurate words? It also does not address that they were not actually on a religious pilgrimage. I would have liked to see some information about this. This is something that I address when I teach this topic and my students are usually surprised. It would be a great myth to add. Part of it discusses the word “pilgrim,” but still implies that they made the journey as a religious pilgrimage.

Ch – 4 – Welcome to Plymouth Rock! (Or Maybe Not…)

Here they address the Plymouth Rock myth. It starts with the Cape Cod landing which is often overlooked and mentions that Native nations have their own laws and rules for entering their territory.  It addresses the myth that the Mayflower Compact is an early version of the constitution or the first democratic government in the colonies. It talks about Wampanoag democracy which is also overlooked in history texts. It talks about how the colonists stole corn, followed Wampanoag and other man-made trails, and even mentions that there is no historical record of the colonists talking about paying anyone back for the stolen corn. Included is information about their grave robbing and ransacking of Native homes. It shows examples of historic paintings about “Thanksgiving” and what is wrong with them, including stereotypes of Native peoples. Manifest Destiny is discussed and how Native stereotypes and invisibility were present in art to push the manifest destiny narrative. It is quite detailed in addressing common myths and omissions of this history.

Ch – 5 – People of the First Light

In this chapter they address “wild and unsettled” and “wilderness” myths. The land was populated and not “wild” at all. It addresses how the English did not understand the Wampanoag people and that what they wrote about the Wampanoag is often false. They talk about English descriptions intentionally making them sound primitive when they were not, to further the aim of colonization.  They discuss the “freedom of religion” myth and their persecution of Wampanoag people for not being Christian. There is more detailed discussion on false information and biases in primary sources. It talks about Wampanoag industriousness and ecology, cultural concepts of giving thanks and taking care of the Earth, and it even gives details about their metal use, fashion, community, government, confederations, trade, and trade routes all over North America. It is impressively detailed. I was very happy to see information about modern Wampanoag cultural preservation. It directly names Zervia Gould Mitchell and Jessie Little Doe Baird and their language revitalization work. Children’s books do not often name modern Native people by name. This is a very welcome change. It addresses the “no written languages” myth and discusses birch bark writing and wampum as a form of recording information. Unfortunately, it does say “Native culture” instead of “Native cultures” plural. I am rather picky about that as it is a common misconception that we are all the same. It is important to pluralize the word “culture” when discussing many different Native nations all together.

Ch – 6 – Long Winter at Plymouth

This part addresses diseases that killed Native people in New England, how the colonists found used, but empty, land due to a plague from years earlier. Samoset and Tisquantum are introduced.  

Ch – 7 – The Pilgrims and the Wampanoag People

Here they go into more details about Samoset. They introduce the Native names of the area and discusses the previous epidemic in more detail. It talks about Thomas Hunt kidnapping Natives and selling them into slavery. I did notice stereotypes in the images, though. The book is attempting to address and squash stereotypes, but they still show Samoset and Tisquantum in summer clothes instead of winter/spring clothes as they would have been wearing when they approached the colonists. The clothing is at least accurate, but not weather appropriate. This is something I discuss with my students. Native people tend to be shown in less clothing to make them look primitive or inferior to Europeans. There is no reason to depict Native men shirtless in the spring in New England. This chapter also goes into much more detail about Tisquantum, his back story, and some of his actions with the colonists.

Ch – 8 – The Myth of the First Thanksgiving

Here they call “the First Thanksgiving” an “origin myth,” which it is. It talks about the name “Thanksgiving” and brings up the use of this term after the Pequot Massacre in 1637. It introduces the concept of harvest festivals being a universal concept in the world. They still tell the “fish, shellfish, and eels” myth even though this food would have been out of season due to the weather. It would have been too cold to dig for clams and eels or go fishing in the fall. They go into more details about historical inaccuracies in paintings that depict this myth, and they discuss how primary sources become myths over time. This leads to them being considered history when they are not. Unfortunately, here they use the slur “squ*w” uncensored and do not explain that it is a slur. They again have drawings of Native men in the winter wearing summer clothes, which makes no sense. It has great historic information that smashes a lot of myths, but still some issues.

Ch – 9 – From the Mayflower to the Seaflower

The last chapter discusses why not everyone celebrates “Thanksgiving.” They talk about how Wampanoag and English viewed the land differently. It addresses the English beliefs that their god wanted them to have the land that belonged to someone else. It busts the myth that the English and Wampanoag were “friends” and talks about distrust, tension, and the fact that the English displayed Native heads on poles for all to see. It brings up the destruction of Native farms and towns. It then goes into more detail about the Pequot Massacre and King Phillip’s War. They address how the Wampanoag were later enslaved. They tell the history of the Seaflower ship carrying enslaved Natives to the Caribbean, and then about the reconnection of Wampanoag people in New England with the descendants of enslaved Wampanoag people in the Caribbean, which is a pretty incredible story. I was thrilled to see it included. There is a discussion about how Native people were robbed of land, cultures (but again says culture instead of cultures), and ways of life, and how people were forced to assimilate. There is a quote from Linda Coombs, a Wampanoag Historian. Again, naming modern Native people by name is an important part of writing about us, but is often left out. Her quote was a great inclusion. It also quotes Wamsutta James’ Thankgiving speech which was suppressed. This led to the establishment of the National Day of mourning in 1970, which continues today. The chapter ends with discussion on Native foods.

There are some book recommendations at the end that includes some good books, but also some problematic and not recommended books. I would avoid the Sarah Eaton’s Day, Samuel Morton’s Day, and Tapenum’s Day books.

Overall, I was quite impressed by this book. It does a great job addressing many common myths and stereotypes. It also includes Native voices and resources, which is something these books often do not do. This is a vital part of telling this history that is unfortunately left out in most cases. I was thrilled to see names and quotes from modern Wampanoag people and the highlights of some of the work they are doing. I was, however, disappointed in the stereotypical imagery of Native men. There is no reason to include art that perpetuate stereotypes when the book is attempting to “smash” those myths and stereotypes. They should have depicted them in weather appropriate clothing as they would have actually been dressed. The uncensored use of a racial slur for Native women with no explanation of the harm of the word was problematic. They should have addressed the word as a slur.  Still, I do recommend this book. I would definitely address the stereotypes and racial slur as your students/children come to them in the book. Even when people make a solid attempt at addressing historical myths, they can still make mistakes. This would be a valuable discussion to have. Who wrote this book and from what perspective? Non-Native people may not pick up on the issues I did due to their cultural lens. Learning how to identify those issues is an important skill to have. I am always learning how to identify the same types of issues regarding other cultures and people groups because I do not have their lived experiences and cultural lenses. Always continue learning and asking these questions.

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