76 pages • 2 hours read
William BradfordOf Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647
Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 1651A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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BetaBook 2, Chapters 20-22Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Book 2
Book 2, Chapter 20 Summary
Bradford covers 1639 and 1640 jointly, which allows him to fully explain a development that spans both years: the settlement of a dispute regarding the Plymouth and Massachusetts colonies' boundaries. By 1639, the colonies have expanded to such an extent that each, according to the other, is encroaching on the other's territory. The situation is especially tense in the neighboring towns of Hingham, which belongs to Massachusetts, and Scituate, where the Pilgrims have promised land to some of their investors. Eventually, the colonies decide to appoint four commissioners—two from each colony—to independently settle the issue. Despite initial disagreements between the commissioners, the colonies do ultimately sign an agreement on where the boundary should lie.
While these negotiations are going on, the Pilgrims are also attempting to reach an agreement with the partners in England. Over the course of 1639 and 1640, the investors send further letters to the Pilgrims complaining of Sherley's failure to pay and asking Winslow to return to England to help settle Sherley's debts. Winslow and the Pilgrims are reluctant, however, because they suspect that any representative they send over will again be arrested, "and an action for such a sum laid upon them that they would be unable to procure bail […] and that then the partners there could force them to do whatever they wished" (199). For a time, it looks as though a compromise might be reached, because Sherley proposes meeting with Winslow in "France, the Low Countries, or Scotland" (199)—i.e., neutral territory. However, nothing ultimately comes of this proposal, despite the Pilgrims' wish to "close their accounts" (200) with the partners as soon as possible. The Pilgrims fear a fall in cattle prices and want their children to be able to move free of "entanglements" (200), but they also simply resent what they see as unfair dealing on the part of the investors.
Book 2, Chapter 21 Summary
In a letter to Bradford, who is once again governor, Sherley says that he would be happy to see the Pilgrims wrap up their business dealings with him. According to him, the Pilgrims have still not settled their debts, so he urges them to either "make a fair and reasonable offer" (201) or to "perfect" (200) and present their accounts and pay that amount outright. He also expresses a hope that the Pilgrims will soon be able to return to England: "Our bishops were never so near a downfall as now. God has miraculously confounded them and brought down all their popish and Machiavellian plots and projects upon their own heads" (201). The Pilgrims accordingly estimate their outstanding debt at £1400, swear an oath that this is correct, and then draw up an agreement offering this amount to Sherley and the other partners.
While this is going on, a religious dispute arises in Plymouth. In 1638, the Pilgrims had hired a man named Charles Chauncey to act as a pastor, but it quickly becomes clear that his views on baptism differ from those of their other minister, Raynor, as well as those of most religious experts in the region. Because Chauncey refuses to compromise, he eventually resettles in Scituate. This makes him part of a more general exodus in the early 1840s, when the price of cattle falls, and many prominent Pilgrims begin to relocate: "Many had already gone to Duxbury, Marshfield, and other places, and amongst them many of the leading men, such as Mr. Winslow, Captain Standish, Mr. Alden. Others dropped away daily, with the result that the place became far less flourishing" (204).
Book 2, Chapter 22 Summary
In 1642, the Pilgrims receive a letter from Sherley agreeing to the Pilgrims' terms and expressing hope that this will be "the final end and conclusion of this tiresome and tedious business, which I think I may truly say is uncomfortable and unprofitable for all" (205). Another partner—Mr. Andrews—sends a similar letter, but a third—Mr. Beauchamp—does not and asks for £400 from the Pilgrims, despite that "the other partners gave [the Pilgrims] to understand he had not nearly so much due to him" (205). As a result, the Pilgrims are not able to entirely close out their accounts for four more years.
Book 2, Chapters 20-22 Analysis
In this section, the Pilgrims are finally more or less able to wrap up their financial dealings with the partners in England; the £1400 they offer the partners in England even releases them from any further claims for the cost of the White Angel. The settlement of Plymouth's debts is an outward sign of how complete a break they have now made with their old lives in England. In fact, Sherley's remark that the Pilgrims may soon be able to return to England comes across as tone deaf, given that the Pilgrims are at this point working to ensure that their children will be able to move around freely in America.
However, while the agreement between Plymouth and the partners sets a seal on the Pilgrims' presence in America, it comes at a bittersweet moment. Not only does the colony suffer financially when the price of cattle falls, but the downturn accelerates the migration of settlers from Plymouth to the surrounding regions. What's more, those Pilgrims who do remain in the colony are growing elderly. In fact, the next chapter opens with the death of William Brewster. Plymouth, in other words, is no longer the tight-knit and thriving community it once was. It does, however, retain its religious convictions, once again forcing out Chauncey, a person whose beliefs clash with the Pilgrims' own. Although Plymouth's beliefs in this case align with those of their neighbors, this unwillingness to compromise—which originally provided such a strong sense of shared identity—is arguably now contributing to the colony's decline. Because Plymouth has difficulty accommodating individuals with different beliefs, its ability to absorb new settlers is limited.
