The Pilgrims Had Their Own #MeToo Moment
HERSTORY
Joe Raedle/Getty
A convicted rapist took his predatory ways to Plymouth Plantation.
In the many celebrations, reflections and histories of Plymouth colony, the settlement’s gender dynamics often get short shrift.
But not unlike today, men possessed power and privilege, women feared voicing their views and experiences, and the authorities debated how to respond to accusations of impropriety.
Original writings about the first New England settlement that I researched while writing my new book, The World of Plymouth Plantation, reveal that Plymouth dealt with sexual assault allegations in the early days of the colony.
