Department of History

Episode One begins in New England in the 1620's, at the time of th so-called "first Thanksgiving". In March of 1621, Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag, negotiated a diplomatic alliance wth a scraggly band of English settlers for the benefit of his people. It was a gamble that paid off for several decades, as Indians and colonists coexisted in relative peace. A half-centry later, as a brutal war flared between the English colonists and a confederation of New England Indians, the wisdom of Massasoit's choice seemed less clear.