Character Traits That Characterized The Pilgrims Enabled Them To Survive In The New World?

1. What beliefs and character traits that characterized the Pilgrims enabled them to survive in the hostile environment that greeted them in the New World? Did some of the same traits that helped them survive limit them in other ways? How so? The Pilgrims were a separatist religious group which journeyed to America in hopes of being able to freely practice their fundamentalist religion. The reason that they survived the hostilities and arduous journey is due to their original purpose for migrating. The Pilgrims withheld religious standards above all else, meaning that all aspects of their life were run affected by their faith in God. The Pilgrims branched off from the Church of England due to its straying from the original teachings of the

He uses the situation to quantify the power and magnitude of God’s powers. Bradford does not even stop to consider any other reasoning for the soldier’s death except God’s will. The continual quantification of their omnipotent God helped them survive the journey across the Atlantic Ocean and the struggles of the New World. The attitude stressed the importance of adhering to their religious faith and having a strict moral and ethical code in their settlement. This is exemplified when John Howland fell overboard during the voyage, yet was pulled to safety and had healthy progeny. Referencing this ordeal, Philbrick writes, “a Puritan believed that everything happened for a reason… the salvation of John Howland… occurred because God had made it so” (33). Additionally, the attitude led to followers to find radical ways to follow their faith and question the faith of others’ creating a sort of social distinction between fundamental followers and non-followers. This is exemplified with the rift and growing tensions between natives and Pilgrims with the outbreak of King Phillip’s

From the 1620s to the 1670s, the Pokanokets and the Pilgrims had a healthy mutualistic relationship led by Massasoit and Brantford. However, as time went on, it became apparent that both groups were vying for more power and land. This caused the natives to build militaristic alliances with their neighbors in hopes of curbing Pilgrim activity in the area. Additionally, Squanto, who seemed to have ulterior motives, catalyzed the creation of the native alliances because the Pokanokets saw Squanto as a threat and a corrupted individual. Philbrick writes that “Massosoit shared Epenow’s shared distrust of Squanto… [as such] he remained a prisoner”; showing that there was a sharp distrust of Squanto and his misguided alliance with the Pilgrims (55). The tradition of peaceful coexistence could have possibly been preserved if there were more diplomatic means to resolve land conflicts that physical fighting. Since both groups wanted the land, and since Squanto seemed to be corrupted, dividing the land peacefully with the aid of another translator, like Samoset, would possibly have helped preserve the