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Plimoth Plantation and Wampanoag Village
American history has traditionally begun, not with the Pueblo Indians and Spanish in the southeastern United States, but with the Pilgrims and Puritans of New England, especially the area around Massachusetts Bay. As environmental historians, our questions, however, pertain to the uses of the environment and the ways in which Pilgrims and Puritans perceived the New World as wilderness. Why did Europeans come to the east coast and try to settle the land, rather than merely exploring the land or trading with native people? Why, in particular, did the English come to New England? Use the linked quotations to assist you in your interpretation.
Use the linked quotations to assist you in your
interpretation.
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Compare and contrast the panoramas of historic Plimoth Plantation (1620-1627) with the panorama of the Wampanoag Village of the same period.
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List the similarities and differences between the two communities: uses of the environment (forest, fields, and biota), farming methods (domesticated animals and plants; planting and harvesting techniques), spatial layout (enclosed, open; geometry), and community organization.
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How do you account for the ultimate success of the Plimoth colony? What indicators are there of the ultimate fate of the Wampanoag village?
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