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Ten Days that Unexpectedly Changed America

 

            10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America by Steven M. Gillon brings to attention the ten days that the History Channel believes to be some of the most influential days in America. Gillon purposefully avoided obvious days, such as the bombing and Pearl Harbor or the signing of the Constitution in order to provoke discussion. The introduction points out that it is almost never planned events that change the course of history, but random, unexpected ones. Gillon also points out that it is not always large groups of people that make a difference, but in many instances it is just a single person. These days were just as ordinary as yesterday, today or tomorrow, and not a single person, even the people who were involved, expected it to have made the impact that it did.
             Battle at Mystic .
             When the Pilgrims arrived in 1620, they originally met a group of natives who helped them adjust to the new land, and despite the kindness of the natives, the English still considered them savages. By the time Puritans arrived with John Winthrop in 1630, things between the natives and the English were. The Puritans believed it was their job to "fix" them and transform them into civilized people. The Puritans believed they were God's "chosen people," and thought they were entitled to the land, and used scripture to justify their actions when seizing land from the natives. The Puritans sought after the Pequots, one of the largest and most dominant tribes. Unlike the other tribes, the Pequots had built two villages- one at Weinshauks and the other at Mystic. They were the most dominant tribe in the region, and the Puritans thought it was time to move into their territory. Just as the Puritans are about to expand, the Pequot tribe gets hit with disease, killing nearly ten thousand in their three thousand person tribe. The Puritans saw this as a sign from God. " ' If God were not pleased with our inheriting these parts,' Puritan John Winthrop wondered, 'why did he drive out the natives before us'" (Gillon, 13).


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