Preface: The Two Voyages Summary and Analysis

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick explores the first fifty-five years of the Pilgrims' life in the New World. Philbrick particularly focuses on the social and economic relationships between the English and their Native American neighbors. The two groups evolve from distrust to a cooperative alliance to a bloody war within this short time frame. Their actions and beliefs would shape the development and structure of the country that would become the United States. Philbrick traces this history from the Pilgrims' departure from England to the death of Philip, the Pokanoket leader, in King Philip's War.

People are fascinated by beginnings. We want to know what happened at the start of things. However, Philbrick argues that beginnings are often not as clear cut as we would like. The voyage of...