What the Pilgrims didn’t know then was that they had landed in a region recently devastated by disease: The Indian tribes had suffered even more horrible losses. “Death was everywhere.” The Native Americans were terrified and weakened. What saved the Pilgrims was “becoming an active part of the diplomatic process” with the Indians. Philbrick provides a brisk introduction to the competing tribes and some of the remarkable individuals who played key roles in the settlement’s survival.

What the Pilgrims didn’t know then was that they had landed in a region recently devastated by disease: The Indian tribes had suffered even more horrible losses. “Death was everywhere.” The Native Americans were terrified and weakened.

What saved the Pilgrims was “becoming an active part of the diplomatic process” with the Indians. Philbrick provides a brisk introduction to the competing tribes and some of the remarkable individuals who played key roles in the settlement’s survival.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/wp/2013/11/13/the-first-thanksgiving-hold-the-cliches/