Plymouth Rocks On

The Landing of the Pilgrims
(Henry A. Bacon, 1877)

Legend (or history - take your pick) has it that our "Forefathers" (what, no mothers?) first set foot upon North America by stepping on a rock they nicknamed "Plymouth."  The only trouble is, they didn't begin to tell this story until decades later.

At that point, "they" consisted of one 94-year-old man who conveyed this second-hand information to a group of people who lived in - you guessed it - Plymouth.  (Some suspect they might have had something promotional to gain from this tale; others think that this suspicion is a tad too cynical.)

Nevertheless, there are many "Afterfathers" (descendants of "Forefathers") who continue to embellish this story with all the glory and drama of a biblical saga.  This is no accident.  The Puritan legacy has long been associated with talk of Massachusetts being the Promised Land - complete with a Holy City upon a Hill.

There are many others, who are decidedly not biological descendants of the Mayflower set, that tell a different version of it all.  They say that the Pilgrims actually first arrived at Provincetown (way out on the far end of Cape Cod) and then raised havoc with sacred Native land and possessions.  Forefathers Day, as it is now called each December, would therefore be a day of mourning for some.

And yet there is something to be said for the image of America being founded upon a rock.  This image, which often connotes blessed roots, could serve America well about now.

Resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forefathers%27_Day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plymouth_Rock