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Chapter One | The Founding of The United States of America
From Colonial America to The Declaration of Independence

A| The Beginning: Jamestown, The Mayflower, Plymouth Colony and the Pilgrim Father

In 1607, John Smith founded the Jamestown settlement which was the first permanent settlement in the Americas. 
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John Smith
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Pocahontas
In 1620, the Mayflower dropped anchor in the north of the territory around the mouth of the Hudson River.
​The Mayflower: the ship in which the Pilgrim Fathers sailed from Plymouth in England to what is now the US, in 1620.
The Pilgrim Fathers: The 102 English people who sailed to America on the Mayflower in 1620. Their group included 35 Puritans whose aim was to create a safe religious community in the New World. The Pilgrims probably landed at Plymouth Rock, and they established Plymouth Colony.

What is a Puritan?

A member of a Protestant group of Christians in England in the 16th and 17th centuries who wanted to worship God in a simple way. Puritans believed in strict moral behaviour and were associated with the Parliamentary party during the Commonwealth of Oliver Cromwell. Because of this they were treated badly after the Restoration of King Charles II, and many left Britain to settle in the US, where their simple way of life and religious discipline became an important influence on American culture.

What is Thanksgiving?

Thanksgiving is associated with the time when Europeans first came to North America. In 1620 the ship the Mayflower arrived, bringing about 150 people who today are usually called Pilgrims. They arrived at the beginning of a very hard winter and could not find enough to eat, so many of them died. But in the following summer Native Americans showed them what foods were safe to eat, so that they could save food for the next winter. They held a big celebration to thank God and the Native Americans for the fact that they had survived.

The “First Thanksgiving”, by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris How did the artist picture the 1621 celebrations, and how did he convey his ideas of the event?

The Painter

Jean Leon Gerome Ferris was a 19th-century painter. He was known for painting scenes from American history. He was born in Philadelphia in 1863, and he painted 78 depictions of significant moments in American history. Ferris was referred to at the time as a “painter historian.” His paintings and illustrations depicted notorious [noteworthy] moments in U.S. history, such as when William Penn was greeted [welcomed] by friendly Indigenous people, shown in The Landing of William Penn — 1682.

Description and Analysis of the Painting

More than any other representation of Thanksgiving, Jean Leon Gerome Ferris’s 1912 painting, The First Thanksgiving, 1621, captures the modern, idealised view of English settlers and Native Americans celebrating their first harvest feast in friendship. The celebratory image depicts the superiority of the new arrivals over the locals.
In the painting we can see settlers – who seem to be puritan pilgrims – sharing a meal (the settlers’ first harvest) with Native Americans from the Wampanoag tribe. It was a common mistake at the time to depict all Indians with feathers when it was something only Plains tribes wore. Plains tribes wore a circle of feathers attached to their back for ceremonies. The Wampanoags did not wear the stereotypical feathered headdresses
According to the legend, when the first British settlers (mostly Puritans) arrived in North America (Plymouth colony) half of them died of starvation. So, Native Americans taught them how to grow vegetables and other plants that were unknown to Europeans. The Wampanoag helped the Pilgrims obtain food. They taught them to grow crops and showed them the best places to fish. A year later, it is thought that the settlers shared their first harvest with the Native Americans to show them their gratitude.
The painting expresses a joyful and peaceful atmosphere. One woman is smoking the peace pipe. However, there is something quite striking or shocking about the whole scene. Indeed, The Indians are sitting down – kneeling down as to beg for food – whereas the settlers are standing up. The Indians are placed on the same footing as the dog – a spaniel [it is known that one arrived on the Mayflower]-and the children. The picture’s message is quite clear: New World men are equal in development to Old World children and animals. The Amerindians are infantilised. It is as if they could not take care of themselves and had to rely on the European settlers.

Conclusion

To some extent it can be said that this painting portrays the settlers in a rather positive light. The painting was made in 1915 to legitimize the pilgrims’ behaviour of the past towards the Native Americans, and find justification for the glory of Thanksgiving.
Contrary to the Thanksgiving myth, the Pilgrim-Wampanoag encounter was no first-contact meeting. Rather, it followed a string of bloody episodes since 1524 in which European explorers seized Wampanoags to be sold into overseas slavery or to be trained as interpreters and guides.

B | Before Independence : Colonial America

Colonial America was a vast land settled by Spanish, Dutch, French and English immigrants who established colonies.
Traditionally, when we tell the story of “Colonial America,” we are talking about the13 English colonies along the Eastern seaboard.
It was those 13 colonies that came together to form the United States later.
The flag of the 13 colonies before
  The War of Independence
European nations came to the Americas to increase their wealth and broaden their influence over world affairs.

“William Penn and The Delaware Indians”, by Benjamin West: An idealized picture of the interaction between settlers and Native Americans.

A. The Painter

Benjamin West was a local artist who was born and grew up in Pennsylvania. Just like William Penn’s son (Thomas Penn), West was born into a quaker family. Although West studied in Philadelphia, he developed as a painter of historic subjects [topics] in London. Once settled in the United Kingdom, Benjamin West never returned to the Colonies. He became a famous artist and teacher, and several [many] early American artists came to London to study with him.

B. The Painting | Introduction

William Penn’s son [Thomas Penn] commissioned local artist Benjamin West to create [do / execute] the painting in 1770 or 1771. This painting depicts a legendary meeting between William Penn and members of the Lenni Lenape [Delaware] tribe on the shore of the Delaware River. West created a powerful symbol of peace. Although the scene is allegorical rather than historical, the image has become an icon of American history.

C. The Painting | description and analysis

Benjamin West completed the painting in 1771 or 1772. It depicts William Penn's Treaty with the Indians when he founded the Province of Pennsylvania in North America, 1771. We can see William Penn who is entering into a peace treaty with the chief of the Lenape / Delaware Indians. The scene takes place [is set] under the shade of an elm tree near the village of Kensington. Benjamin West had no models so he had to use sketches and sculptures. He also added artefacts such as armbands, bags and clay pipes.

C | The American Revolution

A | The Old State House (Boston)

At the time of the thirteen colonies, the State House was the seat of the colony’s government. It was the center of royal government where governors were appointed by the British king. A notable feature of the building was the wooden figures depicting a lion and a unicorn – symbols of the British monarchy.
The Old State House stands witness to the Boston Massacre. “The Bloody Massacre perpetrated in King Street, Boston, March 5, 1770, by a party of the 29th Regiment” from a copperplate engraving by Paul Revere.
The Old State House today. It stands as the oldest surviving public building in Boston. Built in 1713, the building served as the center of civic, political, and business life.

B | No Taxation without Representation is Tyranny

The phrase “No Taxation without Representation (is Tyranny)” was a phrase used by American colonists to express [voice] their resentment at being taxed by the British parliament (= Westminster) to which they elected no representatives. It became a well-known anti-British slogan before and during the American Revolution.

C | The Declaration of Independence

On 4th July 1776, Americans declared their independence. With the Declaration of Independence [drafted by Thomas Jefferson], colonists asserted their right to choose their own government. They were not free yet, and had to defeat the most powerful army in the world.
009-constitution

D | “Join or Die”

“Join or Die” is thought to be the first political cartoon advocating the unification of the 13 colonies. The cartoon - also known as “the cut-up snake” – was designed by Benjamin Franklin. It depicts a snake severed into pieces that symbolize the 13 colonies. Franklin wanted to put the stress on the importance and necessity of unity in time of war. It became an important symbol of American freedom during the American Revolution.
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