The Voyage Part III

Two hours into the search the weather turned foul with winds gusting and snow squalls setting in. Visibility was greatly reduced, the winds were blowing against the current creating a rogue seaway with large and choppy waves.

The severe action of the schallop against the sea's broke the rudder, thankfully there were oars aboard and the vessel was propelled under oar power.

As the evening darkness approached they sighted Plymouth Harbor but the weather wasn't cooperating with them. As the schallop turned into the wind to make for Plymouth Harbor, the mast snapped into three pieces.

Under the expert seamanship of coxswain John Clark, a helmsman of the Mayflower's crew they were able to fetch Plymouth Harbor under the cloak of darkness.

Because of the darkness they beached themselves on a sandy beach on a island in the harbors entrance. They named this location Clark Island, after their Coxswain John Clark under whose masterful seamanship was able to save the Pilgrims from the squall.

The following morning found the Pilgrims exhausted, hungry and cold however they proceeded to explore the island, thinking it might be a good spot for a settlement.

Part of the crew stayed behind to conduct repairs on the schallop as the rest of the Pilgrims explored the island. The following day was the sabbath and the Pilgrims rested and showed respect for their lord.

With calmer weather on Monday they explored the harbor which they had entered and they were quite impressed! The harbor was available to Cape Cod Bay and the Atlantic ocean for the giant cod to be sent back to their investors in England.

The harbor was deep enough for large ships to enter and anchor. There were many creeks coming down to the bay from the surrounding hills.

The land was well suited for farming with it's meadows that were barren of tree's so little ground prep would be needed before planting.

They returned to the Mayflower in Providence Barbour with the delightful new's. They were all in agreement on this new location for their settlement. One of the Pilgrims wrote in his diary “did much comfort their hearts”!

The following day the Mayflower raised their anchor and set a course to cross Cape Cod Bay to Plymouth Harbor, their new home !

Square rigged ships don't sail well into the wind like modern sloop rigged sail boats. They are designed to go “down wind”, which was usually the trade wind routes during the age of discovery.

The winds were against the Mayflower on the first day, they attempted to make landfall by going into the wind. This was to no avail, they hove to out in Cape Cod Bay and by early morning the winds had diminished and they were able to enter Plymouth Harbor.

The Voyage Part II

On Monday November 13^th the entire ships company went ashore in shifts. They brought a 30' auxiliary sail boat called a shallop, they intended to use it for coastal exploration and perhaps trading with the Indians.

The shallop had been severely damaged on the trip and was brought ashore to commence repairs. They spent the day working on the shallop and exploring the new land.

The pilgrims were anxious to establish a settlement so their explorations became quite intense and the men were divided into several search parties to survey the entire peninsula of Cape Cod.

Myles Standish, William Bradford, Steven Hopkins, Edward Tilley and twelve other men departed as a search party. They went to explore a river they observed while entering the harbor.

While exploring the area of what is now Providence Point they encountered a group of six Indians and their dog. As soon as the Indians saw the sixteen men they ran into the woods.

The exploratory party wanted to make contact with the Indians, so they began tracking them until darkness over came them. They made camp on the trail and established a perimeter which they posted guards on shifts.

The next day their search didn't turn up any results. The underbrush was heavy and the pilgrims lost there trail but they did find a fresh water spring and some corn fields that had been abandoned.

On the side of a hill they found some old ship planks, a kettle. There was evidence of a burial site which they excavated and found a basket with 36 ears of Indian corn. This was corn that the Indians would use for seed in the upcoming planting season.

This site became known to history as Corn Hill. They explored further and found the Pamet River and then returned to the fresh water spring to set camp.

The next morning on November 17^th they broke camp and set out for the return to the Mayflower however they became bewildered in the woods and lost their way.

They then came upon a Indian trap set for deer. However all that was caught in the trap was William Bradford, who stepped on it during a moment of inattention.

They were able to make it back to the ship by sunset and signaled the ship which sent out a long boat to retrieve the shore party.

Stormy weather set in on the Pilgrims with snow squalls. They decided to wait for the schallop to be repaired which was ten days later and a party of twenty four under the command of Captain Christopher Jones set out in the schallop and long boat to explore the Pamet River but were held up for another day due to sea conditions and heavy rain.

This is where the name Cold Harbor came from. They hiked several miles over the rough terrain along the Pamet River. It had snowed heavily the night before leaving 6 inches on the ground for the Pilgrims to contend with.

The Pilgrims spent the next week discussing their exploration in search for an acceptable site for a settlement so far corn hill was winning. It was elevated above the rest of the surrounding area with view of the Ocean and Cape Cod Bay however they were concerned about a fresh water source.

A decision was made to make one more exploratory trip this time circumnavigating the shores of Cape Cod Bay.

Sixteen men left in two boats late the following day. As a sailor myself I question the motivation of some of these decisions.

It was below freezing, spray from the motion of the boats were freezing on their clothing, they were going into the wind but weren't making any headway and they left late in the day.

The sun sets early in December in Massachusetts, therefore it must have been almost dusk when they left. They were looking for rivers, bays, and inlets and any cove's that would give protection from the sea and have an approachable shore line.

Most of the creeks and rivers were frozen over they eventually came to what is now called Wellfleet Harbor. Dusk was upon them so they made a landing and set camp in what is modern Eastham Massachusetts.

As they arrived they saw a group of Indians on shore who were cleaning a catch of fish, when the Indians saw the Pilgrims they ran off into the woods.

Because of the late hour they gathered firewood and set a perimeter and guards on shifts. In the darkness they could smell smoke from the Indian camp which they estimated to be five miles away. They were sure the Indians could smell and see their fire also. Most likely they had a team of warriors observing them also.

In the morning they divided up into two groups of eight. One group would continue to explore the area by shallop and the other group to explore by land.

They didn't find any significant waterways leading into the bay. The group of pilgrims on land however had much better luck.

They found Indian footprints on the beach and followed them until they entered the woods, they continued to follow the foot prints past a pond and then continued into a cornfield that looked abandoned.

They continued past another pond and some more corn fields. They continued on and encountered a burial ground. They are seeing signs of Indians all around them but no Indians so far.

They then came upon what appeared to be a group of five Indian houses that were abandoned. As evening was close they traced their trail back to the shore where they met with the group on the shallop and once again set camp, established a perimeter and established a sentry rotation schedule.

Around midnight the pilgrims awoke to the repeated yells from from the sentry “arm-arm”. Then they heard a high pitched noise that they haven't heard before.

There were reports from other explorers from when they were in New Newfoundland they heard similar noises which they thought were from wolves or foxes. They shot their muskets into the air and the screeching noise stopped.

They went back to sleep and arose around five in the morning and began preparations for the day.

Then the hideous screeching started again and then the sentry's came running into the camp yelling those are men! Then the whistling of many arrows began pelting the camp.

The pilgrims began firing their muskets into the air then one of the pilgrims spotted a Indian in the predawn light by a tree, he shot at him three times before he responded, and ran off into the woods, yelling for his companions to follow.

Hostilities were exchanged on both sides but there weren't any injuries or death. The pilgrims named this place “First Encounter Beach”.

The pilgrims continued with their explorations continuing on the coast of the Cape Cod Bay searching for harbors, rivers and creeks which would be well situated for a settlement.

The Voyage Part I

The Mayflower departed with three pregnant women one of whom was in labor and gave birth shortly after departure.

The first six weeks of the trip were with good winds and fair seas, even so there was quite a problem with seasickness these were the days of limited medical remedies.

The insults and harassment from the vulgar sailor kept on. I am going to refer to him as the Bos'n. He laughed at the seasickness that was being experienced by the passengers, telling them they were going to die and he would throw them overboard after they died and confiscate their possessions for himself.

Poetic justice being what it is, the bos'n was the first to experience a severe and painful sickness, which he died from. He was indeed the first person to be thrown overboard to the delight of the pilgrims.

Half way through the trip the Mayflower started experiencing a string of severe storms and constant strong winds on her nose..

The ship started experiencing many leaks and started taking on water not just through the hull but also deck seams which made it extremely to stay dry.

It was significantly wet and dripping on to the sleeping areas on the tween deck. The winds were so strong on many occasions the sails had to be dropped and the ship was at the mercy of the winds and currents which frequently ran against each other.

During one of the storms one of the beams cracked and had to be reinforced and secured with a large screw through the beam. This event was extremely stressful and many of the crew were concerned that the ship wouldn't be able to survive the voyage.

During one of the storms a pilgrim went on deck John Howland. He was secured by a rope, he was washed overboard but was spotted by the deck watch and was able to be retrieved but with great difficulty.

John Howland descendants include Franklin D Roosevelt, President Bush, Humphrey Bogart and Mormon faith founder Joseph Smith.

The pilgrims were praying for a landfall soon and their prayers were answered. Three day's before arriving in the New World a young boy by name of William Button who was brought on the voyage by ship's Surgeon Dr Samuel Fulton, died.

William Button was the first and only passenger to die on the Mayflower while at sea. After 2750 miles and three months after leaving Leidham Holland and sixty six days on the high seas land was spotted.

November 9^th 1620 they spotted Cape Cod which was 250 miles north of their destination. In Colonial America Long Island and what is now New York City was part of Virginia.

The destination of the Mayflower was by the mouth of the Hudson, some accounts say Long Island, however the mouth of the Hudson River is west of Long Island on the other side of Manhattan Island.

As the Mayflower turned south to head for Long Island it soon encountered a shoal leading to a reef, at this time in history the worlds oceans were two hundred and fifty feet lower than it is today!

It wasn't so long ago that a Grand Banks fishing trawler pulled up human skeletal remains that were carbon dated to 12,000BC.

After encountering the reef the Mayflower turned around and traveled fifty miles up the eastern coast of Cape Cod and searched for a sheltered cove to anchor in.

They followed the coast of Cape Cod as it turned west and into Cape Cod Bay there they found a secure anchorage in what is now Provence Town Harbor and on November 11, 1620 they set their anchor in the harbor.

When leaving England they had received permission in the form of a patent from the King of England to start a settlement at the mouth of the Hudson River. However it wasn't applicable any other place in the New World therefore they were now trespassing.

After considerable discussion a decision was made to establish a government and impose self rule and issued themselves a patent for a settlement. This became known to history as the Mayflower Compact.

They had entered Providence Harbor early in the morning of November 11^th before the sun had risen. As the sun rose they were able to see the great diversity of vegetation on shore. Their were pine trees, oak and most of all the juniper tree.

If you have ever entered a dairy barn it would help you understand the odor that one encountered from the interior of the Mayflower. After three months of travel with someplace between eighty-three and one hundred and thirty people on board the passengers were for the most part below decks for their safety.

The juniper tree emitted a perfume when burnt which acted as a air freshener deodorizer. They had been completely out of wood and it was cold now the hardwood from the oak tree's was a excellent source of heat, because November on the Coast of New England was at best frigid!!

By mid morning a landing party of 16 armed men departed for a exploration of the immediate area and also to collect juniper wood.

The landing part made their way to a high point and were able to survey the area they were able to see across the peninsula and see the Atlantic on the opposite side of the island.

They returned to the ship with the juniper wood and spent the next day aboard ship celebrating the sabbath and giving thanks to the lord for their successful journey.

THE PILGRIM'S

In the 1500's in France there were anti catholic movements centered around the opulence of the mother church, these movements were fundamental differences on the practice of the christian faith. These movements were concerned with the transformation of the Christ of History to the Vatican’s Christ.

The Huguenots (Protestant Reformed Church of France) which broke away from the Catholic Church and was very vocal in their disdain for the sacraments of the church and the churches obsession with death, the worshiping of saints, pilgrimages, images, prayers and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church.

The Huguenots were persecuted for their heretical beliefs for years which terminated with the genocide of the Huguenots on St. Bartholomew Day in 1572, when 30,000 Huguenots were executed.

They were executed for lack of faith in the one and only true church! A few years before this genocide, Huguenot Captain John Vassal fled France and made his way to England.

Captain Vassal started a Shipbuilding business. His first ship was a cargo vessel ninety feet long twenty four feet wide and displacing one hundred and eighty tons. This ship required twenty five men and officers.

This first ship was in service by 1574 delivering dry goods , salt, textiles, furs, iron, pewter and casks of vinegar and wine. The ownership of the ship was transferred to Captain Richard Burton, who maintained her cargo deliveries until he desired a smaller ship which could be operated with fewer crew and less maintenance.

Captain Burton sold his ship to Captain Christopher Jones and they exchanged ships. Captain Burton received the Josian along with other compensation and Captain Jones received the cargo vessel MAYFLOWER !

Captain Jones was 25% owner of the Mayflower, he had three investors who were partners, their names were John Moore, Robert Childe and Thomas Short.

The fist voyage of the Mayflower under new ownership was to deliver a load of cargo which was made up of hats, hemp, wine, salt and vinegar, to Tronheim Norway.

Andrew Pawlings had contracted with the Mayflower to deliver these products and bring a return cargo of Norwegian pine boards, tar, furs and salted herring packed in barrels.

Andrew was having financial difficulties and had some IOU's coming due and needed this trip to be profitable. It took a month longer to load cargo in Tronheim then was projected.

 Then once underway the Mayflower encountered a severe North Sea storm which lasted for several weeks before it blew itself out. This trip was challenging for the captain with his new ship, sort of a sea trial of sorts, the performance under these extreme sea conditions were poor.

Captain Jones decided to lighten the load by unloading a considerable amount of cargo especially the lumber, with this lighter load the ship was able to perform much better and survived the storm, however there was a new storm waiting for the Mayflower when she arrived in port.

 When she arrived back in England a month over due authorities were waiting to arrest Andrew Pawlings for defaulting on debts. Andrew was able to sell some of his cargo which wasn't off loaded while in the North Sea, to satisfy some of his debts. Certain creditors weren't satisfied and law suits were filed. This entered the Mayflower into historical maritime records.

 The pilgrims were religious radicals (separatists puritans) who broke away from the Church of England. They lived in the area of Nottingham England. King James 1^st, was not tolerant of the puritans, his persecution of the puritans was constant and severe. Pastor John Robertson was making arrangements to remove his congregation to a place of safety.

Their destination would be Leiden Holland, however they needed to go covertly because the King's spies had them under surveillance. The pastor arranged for a cargo ship to transport them secretly to Holland, their departure was illegal. 

The captain was corrupt and informed the King of the congregations intentions.

When Pastor Robinson arrived at the ship the King's men were awaiting for the arrival. They confiscated all of their belongings, provisions and money.

 At a later date the puritans were able to secure safe passage to Holland but they were impoverished. The ship left for Leiden Holland with the Puritans, they were able to practice their faith but they were still persecuted by King James I who had his spies in Holland keeping surveillance on the separatist Puritans.

 Holland offered opportunity the puritans needed, but as poor immigrants they were not offered the full citizenship in Holland and were not able to attain the financial independence they had once known.

John Carver was the brother in law of Pasteur John Robertson's wife. He was a successful Merchant and was a member of the London Merchant Adventurers Company. John Carver was also a puritan and relocated to Leiden Holland to be with Pastor Robertson's congregation.

The congregation became more and more convinced that the new world would be their best solution for their livelihood if only they could receive help to get started and their prayers centered around their desires to relocate.

Pastor John Robertson sent John Carver and Robert Cushman to London, both of these puritans were successful merchants with excellent reputations and connections to other merchants of means.

They arrived in London to find financial backers, and a ship to handle this project.

John Carver contacted his associates in the London Merchants Adventurer company. Through the company they came into contact with Thomas Weston, a iron merchant. Thomas Weston accompanied John Carver and Robert Cushman back to Leiden Holland to meet with the congregation and especially Pastor John Robertson.

Thomas Weston made a proposal to form a joint stock company with the puritans and a group of London Investors. The investors would lease a ship and finance the venture.

The puritans would provide the labor, all the proceeds, livestock, furs, lumber, real estate and natural resources would be owned by the Joint Stock Company.

They would maintain this company for seven years and then it would dissolve the company and all of it's assets would be sold and dispersed to the stock holders.

This was a dream come true for the puritans, as the plan was presented to the congregation the puritans immediately broke into prayer. Immediate preparations were made for the voyage, not all of the puritans would be the on first voyage, out of one hundred puritans thirty seven would be on the first journey. The puritans arranged for a ship to depart from Defhaven Holland, where their church was located on July 22, 1620.

 In Deflhaven Holland in 1620 Pastor John Robinson was beginning his sermon to a very emotional congregation. Pastor Robinson was proselytizing EZRA (8:21)

“There by the Ahava Canal, I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children with all of our possessions. I was ashamed to ask our King for soldiers and horsemen to protect us from enemies on the road, because we had told the King ' ...the gracious hand of our God is on everyone who looks toward him. His great anger is against all who forsake him.' So we fasted and petitioned our God about this and he answered our prayer.”

As the Pastor preached the flock became more emotional and suddenly Pastor John Robinson fell to his knees and in tearful proclamation prayed the most fervent of prayers.

Select members of the flock said their tearful goodby's. They were the advance part of their congregation that would establish a settlement in the lands to the west, free of religious persecution.

The congregation escorted the pilgrims down to the pier, they boarded the “Speedwell” a ship in ill repair and was taking on water from rotted timber in the hull. The ship was departing for Southampton England.

Prior to this tear felt day the elders of the congregation had sought a seaworthy vessel capable of making this dangerous and long voyage to the lands that the Vikings had been visiting for the last eight hundred years.

The elders came in contact with the master of a cargo vessel which for the last ten years was involved in transporting two hundred casks of Bordeaux wines from Le Rochelle France to London per trip. They contracted with this vessel, the Mayflower, to transport their brothern to the new land.

The Mayflower departed for Southampton in July 1620 on board were twenty five crew, thirty six planters hired by Thomas Weston of London, 19 indentured servants (slaves) which weren't accounted for in the passenger list and six men which were part of the crew that were hired to stay for one year in the new colony.

Upon arriving in Southampton the crew of the Mayflower began acquiring provisions for the upcoming voyage. The Speedwell was to meet with the Mayflower but hadn't arrived in port as of yet.

When the Speedwell arrived in Southampton with her 37 (separatists) from the Church of England the Mayflower already had stores and provisions arranged and they began the process of preparing for their long journey.

Emergency repairs on Speedwell’s hull were underway immediately.

Captain John Smith of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia published a recommended list of clothing, provisions and equipment.

Clothing:
• Monmouth cap (watch knit hat)
• 3 following bands (flat laced bands for the collar)
• 3 shirts, 1 waste coat
• 1 canvas suit, 1 cloth suit, 1 freezing suit
• 3 pairs of Irish stockings
• 4 pairs of shoes
• 1 pair garters (ribbons to tie stockings just below knees)
• 1 pair canvass sheets
• 26 feet of canvas to make beds
• 18 feet of canvas to make sea bed
• 1 rug
• 12 sewing needles

Food: ( 1 man for 1 year)

• Beer (instead of water)
• 2 barrels of wheat (1 barrel=36gal)
• ½ barrel of peas
• ½ barrel of oats
• 2 gal vinegar
• 1 gal aqua ville (strong liquor by distilling wine )
• 1 gal olive oil
• bacon
• cheese
• sugar spice fruit
• 
  
• Hunting and weapons:

• lite body armor
• musket 5'6” long
• 1 sword&belt
• 1 bandolier
• 20lb of gunpowder
• 60lb of shot

Work Tools:

• 5 broad & 5 narrow hoe's
• 2 broad axes & 2 pick axes & 5 felling axes
• 4 hand saws & 2 whip saws & sharpening files
• 2 hammers, 3 shovels, 2 spades
• Drills 2 Augers & 6 chisels & 1 piercer.
• 2 hatchets & 1 frow (used for splitting wood for fence posts)
• 1 grindstone
• assorted nails

Cooking:

• Iron pot
• Kettle
• large frying pan
• grid iron
• 2 skillets
• 1 spit ( to rotate cooking food over fire)
• platters, plates, spoons (made out of wood)

The Mayflower and Speedwell departed in each others company August 5^th 1620, although work was performed on Speedwell she continued to leak and it increased to the point that the crew wasn't able to bail fast enough the Speedwell signaled the Mayflower and both ships made for the closest port which was Dartmouth England .

Once again repairs were begun on Speedwell, this took a couple of weeks and it was August 22^nd by the time the ships were able to make for a seaway Once again Speedwell was taking on water and the crew wasn't able to keep up with the bailing and they made for Plymouth. 

 The decision was made to abandon Speedwell and crowd everyone 103 people and two dogs some chickens a few lambs and pigs and once again make for the new world.

They departed Plymouth England on a journey that lasted sixty six days. A baby was born, a crewman died, another was swept overboard, only to be hauled back in by a safety line.

 The dogs were for hunting one of them was a mastiff and the other was a English Spaniel Hound Dog. The other animals were for breeding. When they arrived they would build huts but also they would build a fort for protection against unfriendly inhabitants. This fort was complete with watch towers and cannon ports for defending the settlement.

Captain Jones hired his cousin John Alden who was a cooper. A cooper made and repaired water tight casks and barrels. John was hired for a year. Absolutely everything was kept in water proof barrels, food, clothing and tools.

Instead of returning to England John Alden stayed behind and married. His descendants became ship builders, building the clipper ships that fished the giant cod off of the Grand Banks . Later they built yachts both sail and power. They are located in Portsmouth New Hampshire.

Their yachts are considered the best of the best. Most cocktail table books that show various classic yachts contain more then one in their photo spread.

I own a John Alden “ Caravel”. There were only 13 caravels built. I own the 3^rd hull built in 1965, it was in the first group of boats built using fiberglass.

It was laid up by hand by skilled Swedish boat builders in Sweden, the interior work was done in Plymouth England, custom crafted by hand out of red mahogany, the rigging work was performed in Fort Lauderdale Florida.

Her name is September Song, she is 41.6 feet long by 11 feet at the beam, 6 feet of swept forward full keel. There isn't a bit of rot or delamination on this vessel fifty years later.

As this book is being published she will be starting a fifty year refit, Few of today’s yacht are in sound enough condition to last fifty years much less start a complete keel up refit.

The settlers experienced a fifty percent death over their first winter in the new colony, many of today’s rich and famous can trace their family roots to the Mayflower.

President: John Adams, Quincy Adams, Zachary Taylor, General Ulysses S. Grant, Franklin D. Roosevelt, both of the President George Bush's, Vice Presidents Charles Curtis and Dan Quayle.

Astronaut Alan B. Shepard, 1^st American in space and fifth man to walk on the moon. Orson Wells, Noah Webster, of Webster Dictionaries.

ACTORS: Alec and Stephen Baldwin, Humphrey Bogart, Christopher Lloyd, Marilyn Monroe, Dick Van Dyke, Christopher Reeve, Bing Crosby and Richard Gere.

Industrialist George Eastman and Hugh Hefner. Governor Sarah Palin, Civil War General George McCellan, Debra Sampson disguised herself as a man to fight in the Revolutionary War.

POETS: Ralph Walden Emerson, Henry Wadeworth Longfellow, William Cullen Bryant and Cokie Roberts of ABC news.   

To be continued                                                   

The Great Spirit

In the first one hundred years after Columbus’s voyages of discovery, the Native American Indians population was decimated. It was estimated that the Native population was around eighty million, a hundred years later it was estimated to be around eleven million.

This decline in population wasn't from disease. The primary cause was genocide! The Spanish conquistadors arrived at the conclusion that the Native Americans were sub-human, they were sub-human because the Spanish did not believe that they had souls. There fore it was acceptable to enslave and murder them!

This genocide greatly crippled the ability of the settlers to have a labor pool. Crippled only to the point of the importation of slaves from West Africa.

The determined protestant settlement of North America showed an arrogance coupled with greed and compounded by racial bigotry that was enough in itself to fuel a genocide that even the notorious gestapo would admire.

The arrogance of the colonists intent on destroying the culture of the Native American's was coupled with a religious certainty, science and protestant work ethic which was a disastrous equation for the first Americans.

The Puritans came to the new lands in search of religious freedom and a state founded on christian principles. They were fanatical with their religious fervor however they were unable to tolerate people of a different creed and culture.

The Puritans sought the New World for a state of reformation, but there was nothing in their history to prepare them for this. The author and civil rights activist Daniel N Paul states that “compassion among the Europeans for Aboriginal Americans was non existent. Yet when recording their relationships with the Tribes they described the generosity that the Aboriginal peoples showed toward them.”.

These Native Americans were and their descendants still are, deeply spiritual; a people who had always sought spiritual guidance; they lived in harmony with the land and all it's creatures.

The Native Americans believed that the Great Spirit lived in all of the creations in the world, the land, animals, vegetation and people.

“There is no quiet place in the white man's cities. No place to hear the unfurling of the leaves in the spring, or the rustle of the insects wings ...what is the meaning of life if man cannot hear the cry of the whippoorwill or the argument of frogs around the pool at night? Whatever befalls the earth, befalls the sons of earth! If man spits on the earth he spits on themselves. This we know—the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that connects the family. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of earth. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.”

Every part of this earth is sacred to my people...The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the red man...Our dead never forget this beautiful earth, for it is the mother of the red man. We are part of the earth and the earth is part of us. The murmur of the water is the voice of my fathers father. The rivers are our brothers, they quench our thirst. The air is important to the red man because all things share the same breath...We know that the white man does not understand our ways...The earth is not his brother but his enemy, when he has conquered it he will move on.

His appetite will devour the earth and leave behind only a desert...Perhaps it is because I am a savage that I can't understand. What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone man would die from loneliness of spirit. For what ever happens to the beasts will soon happen to man.

Crazy Hoarse dreamed and went into the world, where there is nothing but the spirits of all things. That is the real world that is behind this one, everything that we see here is something like a shadow from that world.

All things are the work of the Great Spirit. We should all know he is within all things: the trees, the grasses, the rivers, the mountains and all four legged animals the winged people: and even more important, we should understand that he is above all peoples and things.

The foundation of the Native American life is their spirituality, it affects everything from the way they enter a room to their sense of honor, there wasn’t a difference between the material and spiritual world. Their spirituality controlled their actions in war and in peace, within families and relationships with others.

It was the basis for their courage, hospitality, courtesy to the strange people from across the sea. These strange looking people, who appeared to not have the ability to survive, in this new world, which the Great Spirit offered to them.

The Constitution

The constitution of the United States was drafted by the Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia, between May 25^th and September 17^th 1787.

This document is the oldest written constitution of any state in the union. Its underlying principle center on the underlying principle of the democratic concept that all forms of government be confined by the rule of law.

The constitution is a reflection of the principles of the age of enlightenment. It was influenced by Masonic thought, also by both American and European philosophers, Voltaire, John Locke, Montesquieu and Thomas Paine.

All of them attacked ruling tyrannical governments, they suggested that democratic rule be imposed from below and not be imposed from above, it sounds like the 2012 Democratic platform in the United States of America!

In 1340, the king of the Scots received his authority from the consent of his people through the Declaration of Arbroath.

The American constitution states that it's government can only receive it's powers from the consent of it's governed. It was based on the principle that all free men have certain natural and inalienable rights and that these must be respected by any form of government.

Central to this theme is that all men were created equal and should be treated as equal before the law.

The framework of the article's of Confederation were based on the colonists hatred for the British crown and for any nationalistic form of government.

Because of this the Constitution was structured in such a way that virtually all effective power was kept at the local level.

The constitution was based on the thought that it was both smart and possible to divide the balance of powers between different arms of the government. (1)Giving defined special authority to the local government; (2) permit the state governments to self rule with a certain independence from both local and national governments; (3) with general powers given to the national government.

By giving the national, in this case the Federal government, only those powers which were specifically delicate d to it, was performed in such a manner, to make it clear, that all residual powers remained with the government of the states.

The powers and responsibilities of the president were clearly defined. Monesquieu's concept of the separation and balance of power was placed as a central theme. As a result, John Adams stated that the eight balancing mechanisms within the constitution are prime example's of the document's republican virtue.

The check's and balances were;

• The states and the central government.
• The House of Representatives and the Senate.
• The president and Congress.
• The courts and Congress.
• The Senate and president.
• The people and their Representatives.
• The state legislature's and the state Senate.

• The electoral college and the people.

The American Constitution has many imperfection's, however it had been framed with such wisdom that it has been possible to amend and develop it into a pledge to protect human rights, to be governed under the law, that we have today.

Despite the concept that “all men were created equal and entitled to equal treatment before the law.” There were two groups of people who without regard evidently were not considered “men”!

The slave population of the southern states and the indigenous population which had treated the pilgrims and Prince Henry Sinclair so well!

It is a black mark on American history the way the human regard for these people were disregarded, Quite frankly it shows the hypocrisy in which a small group of people can manipulate the work of the majority for their own sick cause!

FREEMASONS PART II

The veil of secrecy that the covered first three centuries makes it difficult to access all of the combination of esoteric thought which made up the Masonic Lodges.

The histories of Clan Sinclair of Roslyn makes it clear that it was the preservation of the Templar tradition that lay behind the merging of the craft guilds of Scotland into the fraternal lodges in America!

Under the guidance of the Sinclair Grand Masters the ability to transfer sacred knowledge through rituals and leading to higher degree's of responsibility. These rituals were very complex and sophisticated and these in turn led to the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry and the Royal Arch Degrees.

The ancient knowledge passed through the Scottish Rite can be verified by the word “Roslyn” which means “ancient knowledge passed down through the generations” as translated from ancient Gaelic.

The Sinclair s and other members of the Rex Deus are descended from the High Priests of Solomon s Temple. Who were then descended from a close knit group of priests who could trace their lineage, knowledge, and teachings to ancient Egypt.

A select group of priests were given this sacred knowledge which certain Egyptian and Hebrew intellectuals could rise above the general population with information counter to the churches teachings.

This is why certain medieval  groups developed with an anticlerical and anti Catholic bias. These groups kept very close ties with their center of knowledge in Scotland.

Like the Scottish Rite in Scotland, the French lodges tried to maintain the tradition beliefs that had been passed down over the centuries. This control of sacred knowledge has been closely guarded for three centuries after the death of Sir William Sinclair, the builder of Roslyn Chapel.

The formation and long term goal of Freemasonry was to spread the teachings of Rex Deus beyond the previous closed circle of families that made up the Rex Deus.

This could not be rushed, appropriate members would have to be found and taught this information. They would in turn find other appropriate members to train for the next several generations. Only then could the members gain full control of the fraternity of Masons.

William Sinclair was Master of the hard and soft guilds of Scotland. He was the Supreme Judge of the courts at Kilwinning in 15^th century. The Sinclair s of Roslyn were the hereditary Grand Masters of the guilds and of Freemasonry until the early 18^th century.

On St. Andrews day in 1736, a William Sinclair who was a descendant of the builder of Roslyn Chapel resigned his reins of the hereditary guardianship of the Masonic craft.

This was the creation of the “Grand Lodge of Ancient, Free and Accepted Masons of Scotland.” At that point Sir William Sinclair of Roslin Esq. Was proclaimed as Grand Master Mason of all of Scotland.

The world wide fraternity of Freemasonry put their knowledge into effect and became the center of social change in the seventeenth and eighteenth century.

The concepts of science, freedom and democracy from the Rex Deus tradition, which was central to the teachings of the Masonic fraternity were becoming the central tenants of the creation of America.

Many of the students of Masonic thought, who maintained a network with other scholars formed a society known as the “Third Force.” The Third Force was a was a movement of moderation against the excesses of the protestant movement and also that of Catholism In the times of reformation.

The Third Force combined with a Masonic movement in Holland known as the “Family of Love.” The family of Love became known as the “Invisible College” which was a network of scholars working for change. This movement went public in England and became known as the “Royal Society” which was granted a charter by King Charles II in 1662.

The Royal Society was made up of scientists who were primarily Freemasons. This included Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton, who were far more gifted with knowledge that went far beyond the science of the day.

The Invisible College developed into the “Correspondence Society”. The Correspondence Society was instrumental in conveying democratic ideals of the fraternity of liberty that inspired the French Revolution.

Freemasonry was from the beginning a political organization very closely aligned with the Stuart dynasty of Scotland. When the Stuart Monarch was exiled in 1691, French Freemasonry experienced a massive induction of members, who spurred the spread of Masonic thought throughout Europe.

With the spread of Freemasonic liberal thought and influence the Vatican became alarmed. Pope Clement XII issued a papal bull in (Eminenti Apostolatus Specula) was the first of a series of declarations which dispatched the Dominican Inquisition into action.

Any catholic who joined the Masonic Lodge would be excommunicated. In Catholic countries all Freemasons were persecuted arrested tortured and expelled from the country. In Papal states any membership in a Masonic Lodge was punishable by death.

The Masonic Lodges played an instrumental role in Russia and other European states wherever Russian revolutionaries needed refuge.The Italian leaders of the Risorgimento, Garibaldi and Massini were both Freemasons.

 General Marquis de Lafayette was also a Freemason who at this time was gaining prominence in Colonial America and continued with his membership when he returned to France.

Other prominent Freemasons of this era were, Danton, Camille Desmoulins, and Abbe Sieyes. The Abbe Augustine de Barruel claimed that the French Revolution was simply the bloody aftermath of a Freemasonic plot to over throw the royal authority. While Freemasons were active in revolutionary movements, other member of the craft were active in supporting right wing regimes in Prussia, Austria and Great Briton.

It is perhaps appropriate that the lands discovered by Prince Henry Sinclair were the lands of the most powerful and lasting legacy of Freemasonry.

Freemasons emigrated to North America in the eighteenth century from the United Kingdom to the Colonies and also from the traveling Field Lodges of the British army.

In 1730 Masonic Lodges were established in Boston and Philadelphia under Grand Master Benjamin Franklin. In 1734, Benjamin Franklin published the first Masonic book in the new world.

By the time of the American Revolution most of the leading voices for independence were Masonic. After the American War of Independence Grand Lodges were formed in the United States so that American Freemasons were no longer under the control of the active Grand Lodge in London.

It soon became apparent that in America as in Europe membership in the Grand Lodge was a requirement of nomination to high office. Freemasonry was known for drawing it's membership from all walks of life and trades. It also drew a significant amount of it's membership from the educated, aristocratic and professional classes.

 Even though Freemasonry drew it's membership from various religions, political groups and nationalities; it should not be surprising that many politicians and heads of state from the time of George Washington to Gerald Ford included fourteen presidents.

 Masonic thinking was the predominant influence on the creation on the highest form of democracy, the Constitution of the United States.

John Paul Jones General Lafayette

The American's and French have a different view of John Paul Jones than the British do. Sir Winston Churchill called him a privateer, Rudyard Kipling called him a pirate when discussing his exploits.

Theodore Roosevelt however refereed to him as a “daring corsair.” When John Paul Jones was attacking British shipping at the beginning of the Revolutionary War, the British considered him a pirate, but America considered him the commanding Admiral of the Continental Navy, which of course Britain didn't recognize.

After a certain point in the war, the British no longer considered him a pirate but a Admiral in the Russian Navy!

There are those that question his credibility based on the number of girl friends he had. A girl in every port so to speak.

He was very arrogant, some historians feel this kept him from advancing in both the Russian and American navies, although he was very accomplished.

For generations midshipmen were required to read his publications on the professional standards and protocol for naval officers;

“none other than a Gentleman, as well as a seaman, both in theory and practice, is qualified to support the character of a commissioned officer in the navy, nor is any man fit to command a ship of war who is not also capable of communicating his ideas on paper in language that becomes his rank.” John Paul Jones to marine committee, 21 January 1777. “As you know the credit of the service depends not only on dealing fairly with men employed in it, but on their belief that they are and will be dealt with fairly.” John Paul Jones in correspondence to Joseph Hewes, 30 October, 1777.

The French masonic General Marquis de Lafayette, the “hero of two worlds”. Played a prominent role in both the American Revolution and the French Revolution.

He snubbed his nose at the French government when in 1777 he departed for America to offer his assistance to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia.

General Lafayette was a mason, although he was never an American citizen, however there is a whole chapter dedicated to him in Brother Ronald Heaton's book “Masonic membership of the Founding Fathers”. He was a friend of George Washington who became his mentor.

General Lafayette served under General Washington at both the Battle of Brandywine and Valley forge. In 1779 he departed for France to organize the French Force for departure to Newport Rhode Island.

General Washington helped to diverted General Clinton's British Army away from Newport. General Lafayette army was able to greatly help the Colonial Army to defeat the British and win Independence for the Colonies.

In 1781 General Lafayette and his French Force were at the Battle of Yorktown where they served with distinction. General Lafayette was very popular in America and was a great help to presenting the liberal thinking of the colonists, and winning support throughout Europe. The French were becoming frustrated with the rule of Louis XVI, General Lafayette was instrumental in promoting a representative monarchy.

In 1789, General Lafayette proposed a Declaration of Rights. He was elected commander of the French National Guard in 1789. In 1790 he appeared with his Guard at the Festival of Federation, to welcome in the United Communities of France.

General Lafayette was despised by the courts who considered him a rebel and unable to protect the Royal Family. He was inspired by the American Revolution, however he didn't have a realistic plan of his own to implement change.

He fell out of favor with the populace because of his suppression of demonstrators of change in 1791. In 1792 France engaged in war with Austria, and General Lafayette was made commander of the army but was captured by the Austrians and turned over to the Prussians who imprisoned him.

He was released in 1797 and returned to France in 1799. He died in Paris in 1834.