Part 3: Chapter 12, The Trial Summary and Analysis

The second generation of Pilgrims did not share the same spiritual fervor their parents had. They became more consumed with material rewards than spiritual ones and church membership requirements were relaxed in many colonies. In future years, with growing violence and hardship, the children of the Pilgrims would look back on this as the reason for God's punishment and judgment.

The political and social climate in New England was also changing. Boston quickly became the economic center of the region. In Plymouth, Josiah Winslow, Edward Winslow's son, became the military leader at the age of thirty-three. He graduated from Harvard College and was seen as a distinguished member of the community. He knew the Indians well from his father, although he had a different relationship with the leaders.

The relationship enjoyed by the Pilgrims and...