The John Batchelor Show

Thursday 24 November 2016

Air Date: 
November 24, 2016

Photo, left:  Tisquantum (ca. 1585 ? - November 30, 1622), variously spelled in 17th century documents and commonly known as Squanto today, was one of the last Patuxet, a tribe of Native Americans who were subordinated to the Wampanoag as part of the Wampanoag tribal confederation.
In 1614, when he was presumably in his 20s or 30s, Squanto was kidnapped by an English explorer and sold in Spain, where he was liberated by monks presumably opposed to the practice of slavery and educated in the Catholic faith.[1] From there he made his way to England, where he resided for some time at the home of an official of the Newfoundland Company, during which time he learned the English language. In 1617 he accompanied an English explorer to Newfoundland. There he met another explorer, Thomas Dermer, who, as a result of Squanto's descriptions, became interested in the commercial possibilities of New England. The two returned to England to seek permission to explore the area. From there in March 1619 Dermer and Squanto took passage on a vessel that had been fitted out for voyage to New England. When Dermer decided to explore the coast on the way to Jamestown, Dermer granted Squanto leave to visit his people. Squanto discovered, however, that they had been decimated by a plague. Rather than continue with the Englishmen, Squanto slipped into the forest and was not seen again by Europeans until his famous encounter with the Mayflower settlement in 1621.
Squanto's chief fame resulted from his efforts to bring about peaceable contact and alliance between the English Separatists who had come to the New World on the Mayflower and the Wampanoag. Owing to his facility with English, Squanto played a key role in the early meetings in March 1621. He soon became attached to the Separatists, whom he assisted in plantings of native vegetables and dealings with other native tribes. As he became more trusted by the Separatists, Squanto engaged in an intrigue evidently designed to incite hostilities between the Separatists and certain Wampanoag. When the Great Sachem of the Wampanoags requested his life, the settlers failed to turn him over, creating a rift between the Separatists and the Wampanoag sachem. In September 1622, as a result of an increasing number of settlers sent from England, severe food shortages arose. Squanto accompanied William Bradford on an expedition to Cape Cod for the purpose of trading with the native inhabitants for food. It was during this expedition that Squanto fell ill and died.
Considerable mythology and legend has surrounded Squanto over time, largely because of early praise by Bradford and owing to the central role that the "Thanksgiving" festival of 1621 plays in American folk history. Bradford's later assessment of Squanto, however, was more realistic and acknowledged the more complicated character of the man.
 
JOHN BATCHELOR SHOW
 
Hour One
Thursday  24 November 2016 / Hour 1, Block A: Between Two Worlds: How the English Became Americans, by Malcolm Gaskill (1 of 16)
Thursday  24 November 2016 / Hour 1, Block B:  Between Two Worlds: How the English Became Americans, by Malcolm Gaskill (2 of 16)
Thursday  24 November 2016 / Hour 1, Block C:  Between Two Worlds: How the English Became Americans, by Malcolm Gaskill (3 of 16)
Thursday  24 November 2016 / Hour 1, Block D:  Between Two Worlds: How the English Became Americans, by Malcolm Gaskill (4 of 16)
 
Hour Two
Thursday  24 November 2016 / Hour 2, Block A:  Between Two Worlds: How the English Became Americans, by Malcolm Gaskill (5 of 16)
Thursday  24 November 2016 / Hour 2, Block B:  Between Two Worlds: How the English Became Americans, by Malcolm Gaskill (6 of 16)
Thursday  24 November 2016 / Hour 2, Block C:  Between Two Worlds: How the English Became Americans, by Malcolm Gaskill (7 of 16)
Thursday  24 November 2016 / Hour 2, Block D:  Between Two Worlds: How the English Became Americans, by Malcolm Gaskill (8 of 16)
 
Hour Three
Thursday  24 November 2016 / Hour 3, Block A:  Between Two Worlds: How the English Became Americans, by Malcolm Gaskill (9 of 16)
Thursday  24 November 2016 / Hour 3, Block B:  Between Two Worlds: How the English Became Americans, by Malcolm Gaskill (10 of 16)
Thursday  24 November 2016 / Hour 3, Block C:  Between Two Worlds: How the English Became Americans, by Malcolm Gaskill (11 of 16)
Thursday  24 November 2016 / Hour 3, Block D:  Between Two Worlds: How the English Became Americans, by Malcolm Gaskill (12 of 16)
  
Hour Four
Thursday  24 November 2016 / Hour 4, Block A:  Between Two Worlds: How the English Became Americans, by Malcolm Gaskill (13 of 16)
Thursday  24 November 2016 / Hour 4, Block B:  Between Two Worlds: How the English Became Americans, by Malcolm Gaskill (14 of 16)
Thursday  24 November 2016 / Hour 4, Block C:  Between Two Worlds: How the English Became Americans, by Malcolm Gaskill (15 of 16)
Thursday  24 November 2016 / Hour 4, Block D:  Between Two Worlds: How the English Became Americans, by Malcolm Gaskill (16 of 16)