--- title: Everything I learned about the Mayflower description: Everything I learned about the Mayflower ... I learned from the TV. image: https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Sams-Vita-B-300x226-1.jpg --- # [Vita Brevis A resource for family history from AmericanAncestors.org](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. # Everything I learned about the Mayflower [March 16, 2020](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2020/03/everything-i-learned-mayflower) [American History](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/american-history), [Mayflower 2020](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/mayflower-2020), [Serendipity](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/serendipity), [Road Trips](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/tag/road-trips) [Sam Sturgis](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/author/ssturgis) [![](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Sams-Vita-B-300x226-1.jpg?width=300&height=226&name=Sams-Vita-B-300x226-1.jpg)](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Sams-Vita-B-1.jpg)... I learned from the TV. Did I say television? The boob tube? Is that possible? Well, actually, before I learned about the *Mayflower* on TV, I was taught the story of the Pilgrims in various elementary school Thanksgiving pageants. They were quite inspiring, if not downright fanciful. It wasn’t until many, many years later that I read Nathaniel Philbrick’s *[Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War](https://www.nathanielphilbrick.com/books/mayflower/)*, an extremely interesting read that I highly recommend. It tells a story that is much more accurate than the one in the pageants, and thus, much more bleak, if not tragic. A bit later (2015 to be exact) I watched the PBS-*American Experience* made-for-TV movie *[The Pilgrims](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4038048/)*. *The Pilgrims* was filmed largely at [Plimoth Plantation](https://www.plimoth.org/), which really added to the period-specific experience for me. The film is not highly rated on IMDb, but I found it fascinating. The “most helpful” reviewer didn’t like that William Bradford was played by the elderly Roger Rees:  “Although the words he read (spoke) were interesting.” Fortunately, the reviewer concludes “we did learn some stuff while watching it. 5/10.” Another reviewer (2/10) titled their review “Dark and grim portrayal of the Pilgrim's Experience." Gee, what happened to those happy grade-school pageants? ### "[Also], the Pilgrims were taken aback by how scantily dressed the Native Americans were." I also enjoyed the two-part television mini-series *[Saints and Strangers](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4705002/),* which also has terrific period-production values. But, having been filmed in South Africa, I found the mountains in the background of some scenes a bit disconcerting. When I visited Plimoth Plantation a few years ago, there were no mountains to be seen anywhere. Even so, the film was extremely interesting. The IMDb reviews vary from “This project must become a classic. It reveals that our sentimental notions about Thanksgiving don't reveal the truth” and ”[Outstanding Miniseries: Well Researched and Beautifully Filmed](https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3421359/?ref_=tt_urv)” to “also, the Pilgrims were taken aback by how scantily dressed the Native Americans were. The Native Americans in this production are in full leathers! Another grievous error!” Well, there are grievous errors and not-so-grievous errors. The erroneous costumes of the Native American actors didn’t bother me. Personally, I was happy to see that all the Native roles were played by Native actors. In any event, both TV shows are highly recommended by me. As is a visit to Plimoth Plantation for anyone interested in the story of the *Mayflower*, the Pilgrims, and the Native Americans who helped them to survive. ### Share this: - [mailto:?body=https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2020/03/everything-i-learned-mayflower](mailto:?body=https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2020/03/everything-i-learned-mayflower) - - - More - - ![Sam Sturgis](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/hubfs/Imported%20images/e7ba130ef66c2520d9eb1e7ecd4c5dcb%3Fs=96%26d=identicon%26r=g.jpeg) ## About Sam Sturgis Sam was born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Psychology from Eastern Michigan University and worked as a Human Factors researcher in automotive safety for 13 years. He entered the field of commercial software development in 1983 and acted as software developer and development manager at Wang Laboratories and The Foxboro Company. Sam joined the NEHGS staff in 2005. Sam's interest in genealogy began shortly after moving to Massachusetts, when he and his family chanced upon the Sturgis Library in Barnstable, during a vacation on Cape Cod. There he discovered that he is a descendent of the Sturgis family that settled on Cape Cod in the 1630's. Sam and his wife Gail live in Medway, Massachusetts. They have two grown children: Katie, a Registered Nurse in Wrentham, and David, a software developer in Somerville.[View all posts by Sam Sturgis →](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/author/ssturgis) [← A colonial goldmine](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2020/03/a-colonial-goldmine) ['Palace of the People' →](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/2020/03/palace-of-the-people) This is a search field with an auto-suggest feature attached. - There are no suggestions because the search field is empty. ### Recent Posts [Sailor Bill and His Forgotten Wife](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/sailor-bill-and-his-forgotten-wife) [Professor X](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/professor-x) [Part I: Malaga Island, Maine](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/part-i-malaga-island-maine) [The Norwegian folge](https://vitabrevis.americanancestors.org/the-norwegian-folge) [Research…in a Miniskirt? 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