Native People and Colonial Exploration

NATIVE PEOPLE AND EUROPEAN CONTACT

The Native Peoples of New England were familiar with Europeans. Throughout the 16th century, the French fishermen and traders explored the coast. Samuel de Champlain explored the Northeast coast for the French in the early 1600s. In 1605, he sketched what is now Plymouth Bay.

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Champlain's Map of Plymouth Harbor
In 1605, Samuel de Champlain (of France) explored the New England coast. His ship ran aground in Plymouth Harbor. While waiting for the tide to come in, he drew a map, the only drawing of Plymouth showing the Native community of Patuxet. The Native houses, known as "wetus," can be seen surrounded by cornfields.
Champlain's account of his explorations, including the map drawn during his stay in Plymouth Harbor, was published in Paris in 1613.
By the time of the Pilgrims' arrival in 1620, Patuxet had been devastated by disease and abandoned by its Native inhabitants.

Click HERE for a larger view of Champlain's map and for Champlain's written description of Plymouth Bay.

The French were joined by Basques, Dutch and, by the early 17th century, by the English.

TISQUANTUM / SQUANTO

Tisquantum, or Squanto, was a Wampanoag native of Patuxet (today's Plymouth). In 1614, Thomas Hunt, an unscrupulous English sea captain, kidnapped several Natives, including Squanto, and sold them in Spain. Somehow, Squanto made his way to London. There he became acquainted with English explorer Thomas Dermer, sailing back to New England with him in 1619.

He discovered his village was vacant, emptied by disease.

In 1621, Squanto served as guide and interpreter between Massasoit and the Pilgrims. He lost Massasoit's favor when his plot to create a personal power base was discovered. Squanto remain with the colonists until his death in 1622.

It was a short step from exploration to colonization. Economics were important in colonizing the Americas. England faced stiff competition in trade from Holland, Spain and France. Colonies would provide England with her own spices, medicines and dyes. Colonies would also be markets for English goods.

The English were moving into a region where Native Peoples already lived. Seventeenth-century Europeans believed that their colonizing effort was justified because they were "improving" the land in European ways of intensive farming and permanent villages. The Europeans also believed their colonizing effort was justified by the introduction of the Christian religion.