Hi Stacy and Joe, (Stacy, please forward this to Joe . The shift keys are screwed up and I can´t type his email address in the `copy to` space.) I haven't seen the film "Desperate Crossing." I'm sure, having read several reviews, that it is visually appealing and has actors in accurate clothing. I am also sure that it's a dazzling film with a huge budget. It must be convincingly presented and it is certainly widely advertised. From one review I learned the following (I'm numbering the points): [1] "People also tend to assume that the Pilgrims came to America to flee persecution, but by then they were already in Holland where they had religious freedom. Religion was a factor, but the documentary makes it clear that economic opportunities were probably more important. [2] It's common to act as though the Mayflower was an exclusively Pilgrim ship when in fact they were a minority aboard, numbering only 35 out of 102 (though the documentary could have made their final tally a bit clearer). [3] The Mayflower Compact is often regarded as the origin of American democracy, but it wasn't created out of any high-minded respect for democratic principles. Instead, it was created out of necessity: there were arguments over where to land, and this was a way to give everyone a voice in the new community, thus encouraging the non-Pilgrims to go along with the final site. [4] First Thanksgiving What about Thanksgiving itself, perhaps the best-known event associated with the Pilgrims? Most treat it as a religious feast where the Pilgrims give thanks to God for surviving the past year — and of course to the Wampanoag, without whom they would have surely died. In fact, the day didn't start out as anything special. The Wampanoag simply showed up with 90 warriors and an unknown number of women and children for a three day visit which probably ate the Pilgrims out of house and home (just before the winter, to boot). For the Wampanoag, this sort of behavior was natural for allies and they wouldn't have raised an eyebrow had the Pilgrims done the same. It's how kin treat one another. [...] Thanksgiving, then, was the Pilgrims and Wampanoag coming together as allies and kin, strengthening a military and social alliance which both needed." Regarding the first point: Religious toleration in Holland ended in June, 1619, by law. The Pilgrims were not persecuted there by the Dutch, but they were no longer legal, and the Dutch bowed to English diplomatic pressure to suppress the religious publishing activities of the Pilgrims; and the Pilgrims had reason to fear increasing interference and suppression by the English authorities whose military presence was part of the preparations for resumption of war with Spain. A Spanish victory would have brought even worse persecution than they had previously experienced in England. No evidence exists to support the claim that economic motivations were more important than religious motivations. Regarding point two: At least half the passengers on the "Mayflower" were from Leiden. The point, however, is in itself not very important, because, on the one hand, the numbers include children and servants (who did not have a voice in planning decisions), and, on the other, all the leaders among the colonists were from Leiden (with the exception of Christopher Martin, whose role as a colony leader is moot). Regarding point three: The Mayflower Compact established a democratic government in the first colony in New England. It was continuously remembered and referred to as the basis of the colony's government, and all further charters were identified as augmentations of it. To describe it as not a high-minded expression of democratic principle ignores its subsequent history and its origins in the Pilgrims' contemplation of possible forms of government (i.e. - the development of democratic, representative government in the colony's constitutional laws of 1636 which were the expanded expression of the principles of the Mayflower Compact; and the sentiments of equality expressed by John Robinson in his advice to the colonists). This diminished view of the significance of the Mayflower Compact has been pushed by Plimoth Plantation during the last ten years or so. Regarding point four. My interpretation of Thanksgiving is explained in my articles posted online at the Sail 1620 site. Reading Winslow´s description of the harvest thanksgiving, published in Mourt´s Relation, I find no evidence that would support the idea that the 1621 Thanksgiving did not start out as something special but merely developed as an unintended response to the arrival of ninety Natives. It´s a bit discouraging to work carefully in an attempt to arrive at an accurate assessment of the evidence and be trumped by a million dollars worth of gloss. But I have no doubt that `Desperate Crossing` will set the story permanently in the public mind so that inaccurate presuppositions determine the discussion. And I have no doubt that the film looks great. To criticize it publicly would make me look like a griping complainer worried about minor details. But my objections are to the misunderstanding of the whole story. Perhaps a few people will, in any case, read my book. For the moment, having the first two chapters online is the only statement I can make. I greatly appreciate the time and effort that you and Joe are putting into that. Sincerely, Jeremy "STACY WOOD" <[email protected]> wrote: >A review by Pilgrim Henry Samson Kindred officer, Valeria Reckert, of the History Channel's upcoming documentary "Desperate Crossing: The Untold Story of the Mayflower," has been posted on the Kindred's website, www.PilgrimHenrySamsonKindred.org. The show runs 3 hours and will be broadcast on Sunday, 19 November at 8 pm EST. The show will give many a new understanding of the Pilgrims. See the preview and be sure to play the included game! An excellent show for the entire family. >Stacy Wood >Chair, PHSK Website Committee > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message >