US History From a Brasilian's Perspective

Discuss the character of Squanto. How did the strengths and weaknesses of his personality end up influencing history, and why did this one man make such a difference?

I didn't like Squanto from the time he was introduced to the time he died of disease..or poisoning..whichever way you want to see it. As a native who was both proficient in English and..uh.."native", he was already a powerful and influential character. However, early translators always seem to have agendas and Squanto was no different. As a bridge between the Pokanokets and the Pilgrims, Squanto could hold both groups in his hands, which is exactly what he tried to do. he was a confident man and a good actor. not only was he able to trick both the Pokanokets and the Pilgrims for an extended period of time, he almost succeeded in setting the Pilgrims against the Narragansetts, the Pokanoket's main rival. However while he may be self-confident as knowledgeable in the ways of the English and the natives, his weaknesses were enough to bring him down. For one, he was dependent on the story of the Narragansetts attacking the pilgrims to freak the Pilgrims out enough to make them attack first. He may have been a catalyst in rising tensions but he was unable to keep the story straight long enough before other reports came in contradicting what he said. Also he was extremely focused on his own honor and power. Even Philbrick says that it was Squanto's ambitions that had him found out (134).

Squanto was able to make such a difference for a few reasons. First off, the natives were already uneasy of the English based on past experiences. Even though favorable relations grew between the natives and Pilgrims, and small discord could explode into something huge. Squanto's machinations just helped set off the spark. Secondly, the Pilgrims were extremely dependent on translators like Squanto, which gave him more power then comfortable. It was his choice to use the opportunity to try to make himself the strongest native in New England. Lastly, Squanto involved other tribes in his plans. By doing so, the fate of the Pilgrims became entangled with the fate of many more Natives.