Part 2: Chapter 9, A Ruffling Course Summary and Analysis

By the winter of 1623, the town of Plymouth was a community. Bradford had convinced the Strangers that they all needed to work together and that religious and family ties bound them together. It was a different story in Wessagussett. Wessagussett was made up of a group of unattached men and set right next to a Massachusetts settlement. The men were not prepared for life in New England and seeking out food required them to leave the safety of their settlement. Malnutrition, fear, and despair were large problems. Their situation left them tempted to steal corn from the Indians nearby. Bradford urged them not to do this. John Sanders, the leader of Wessagussett, sailed away hoping to find provisions. The situation had grown dire as the Indians were harassing them and the men were...