John Alden and Priscilla Mullins

      John Alden was in his early twenties when he was hired to be the ships cooper (barrel maker). Being a barrel maker made him extremely strong making him a great asset to the Pilgrims. Priscilla Mullins traveled with her father, mother, and brother to the New World. Her family died during the first winter. She devoted herself to helping others, especially the sick. John Alden married Priscilla Mullins in 1621 or 1623. They had 10 children, many of their descendants are famous, one of them being Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. John Alden held many positions in Plymouth, he served as deputy governor, the colony's treasurer, and he helped revise the laws. The Alden's and Miles Standish's family settled in Duxbury.
http://www.pilgrimhall.org/aldenjohn.htm


Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a poem about the supposed love triangle between John Alden, Priscilla Mullins, and Miles Standish. This story is not factual at all but an interesting story nonetheless. As I read it, I noticed some historical blunders. Longfellow calls the colonists at Plymouth, Puritans. They really were Pilgrims who settled at Plymouth. Longfellow also refers to the Mayflower landing at Plymouth Rock which is untrue.
         Here is the link for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "The Courtship of Miles Standish". It is a rather long but I enjoyed it!!
http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/hwlongfellow/bl-hwl-miless.htm

Second Blog Post: Journals

I was looking at the Jamestown rediscovery website when I found this article on Captain John Smith. As I was reading it, I found parts that did not correspond to the story the General History of Virginia.
    It says on the website that the Algonquian Indians attacked the settlers, stealing guns and raiding their camps... I thought Jamestown had a wooden wall surrounding it??? The article goes on to say that John Smith and some companions were ambushed by Indian Deer Hunters. The Indians killed the Englishmen with John Smith and took him back to Chief Pawhatan where John Smith dazzled the Indians with his self-confidence and his mystical instruments with him, namely, his compass. Wasn't Jamestown the first Settlement in Virginia? How did the Indians understand him????? The article says that John Smith took part in a ritual or trial where he was made part of Chief Pawhatan's tribe. They say that John Smith believes Pocahontas saved his life... from what??? John Smith was made a member of the tribe, where's the part where Chief Powhatan nearly knocks John Smith's brains out??????
     This article, to me, sounds very biased. John Smith could do no wrong! He saved Jamestown! I think there's a bit of faulty evidence, lots of bias, and maybe just a pinch of exaggeration for good measure.
Here is the website I found this article at:  http://www.preservationvirginia.org/rediscovery/page.php?page_id=25

Nature Sightings

So my family went to the apple orchard today after school and as we were driving in the country, we saw the biggest bald eagle!!! It was on the ground holding something. It was so beautiful and amazing to see a bald eagle so close to home. The only other time I have seen a bald eagle is when my grandpa took our family on a cruise to Alaska and at one port, a Native American man whistled and about 5 bald eagles came from their nests and circled around in the sky. When I saw the eagle, my mind immediately went to English and learning about the spirit guides. I wonder if this means I'll become a chief??? LOL!!!!

The Lady Slipper

    My mother grew up in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Her father was a great outsdoorsman, he went hunting and trapping to get money to buy their Christmas presents. One year, he bought my mom a pair of moccasins and told her about the legend of the Lady Slipper. The Lady Slipper is Minnesota's state flower and is endangered.
    The story of the Lady Slipper is on this link: http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/LadysSlippers-Ojibwa.html
   The Ojibwa are Native Americans that live in northern Minnesota and parts of Canada. This story is told to explain why the Lady Slipper looks like a tiny moccasin. The Lady Slipper is an endangered flower and it is protected by the state of Minnesota. No one can remove a Lady Slipper from its natural habitat.

My fist blog ever!!!! I'm really nervous...