Ep 1. After the Mayflower

After the Mayflower is the first episode of season one of American Experience: We Shall Remain, a documentary series that chronicles the Native American experience throughout history. In this episode, viewers are taken back to the year 1620, when the Pilgrims made their way across the Atlantic on the Mayflower and landed at Plymouth Rock, forever changing the landscape for the Wampanoag people.

Through expert interviews, archival documents, and reenactments, the episode sheds light on the complex relationship between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe. It explores the reasons for the Pilgrims' journey to America, their struggles to establish a new colony, and the Wampanoag's initial interactions with their new neighbors. The show provides a glimpse into the ways in which these two vastly different cultures tried to coexist in the early days of European settlement in North America.

Viewers are introduced to key figures on both sides of the conflict. On the Pilgrim side, we meet William Bradford, the leader of the Plymouth colony, who kept a detailed journal of his experiences. We also hear from Edward Winslow, one of the few Pilgrims who had established relationships with the Wampanoag. On the Wampanoag side, we learn about the sachem Massasoit, who made the controversial decision to form an alliance with the Pilgrims, and Tisquantum (more commonly known as Squanto), who played a crucial role in the early years of the colony.

Throughout the episode, we see how the Pilgrims' arrival and subsequent interactions with the Wampanoag had a profound impact on both sides. The Pilgrims struggled to survive their first winter and, despite their initial hopes of establishing a community based on religious freedom, eventually resorted to bullying and violence to solve their problems. Meanwhile, the Wampanoag were forced to adapt to the presence of these new settlers as they watched their lands and resources diminish.

Despite these difficulties, there were moments of cooperation and understanding between the two groups. The episode highlights the first Thanksgiving feast, which is often portrayed as a symbol of harmony between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag. However, the show also explores the complex power dynamics that existed between them, shedding light on the ways in which the Pilgrims exploited the Wampanoag for their own gain.

Overall, After the Mayflower sets the stage for the rest of the series by providing a detailed account of the early years of European settlement in America and the impact it had on the Native American population. Through the use of historical documents and expert interviews, the show both humanizes and complicates the people and events of this tumultuous time in American history.