“Plimoth” and Massachusetts Bay in the Seventeenth Century

* The exhibit will use the seventeenth century spelling of “Plimoth.”

Recalling an elementary school pageant, “Pilgrims” dressed in black with wide brimmed hats and impressive belt buckles. Today we know that most did not wear black but favored “sadd colors” autumn hues of yellow, brown and russet.

“Native people” dressed in the style of “Plains Indians” familiar to some because of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Shows. It was not the style of the Wampanoag people who first met the English colonists. The arrival of the Pilgrims was a world historic event that continues to shape American life. Beyond getting the fashions right, we are now taking a more careful look at the story. 

For Native people European colonization was an unimaginable disaster that unfolded over many generations. Today, at a time of large scale immigration to America, respect for ethnic and religious differences is again at issue. 

We are also aware that America is attractive to many people around the world because of personal liberty, economic opportunity, and relative tolerance. The seeds of that culture were also planted during this period. Institutions were founded in seventeenth century Massachusetts that have been described as “self-correcting” over time. Religious motivations led to the founding of public schools and Harvard College and to the serious study of science. A moralistic culture produced intolerance but also reform.

This is a tale of two colonies because Plimoth was soon joined by a larger colony, founded by English Puritans, the Massachusetts Bay Colony. These sister colonies have an outsized influence in our lives — even today