My Grandfather, Myles Standish ~ The Short And Angry Man.

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Myles Standish was my 8th great grandfather. He was the military captain (the police) on the Mayflower. the ship that landed in Massachusetts in 1620 . He was one of the Founding Fathers of the Plymouth Colony. Myles was a short red headed man with a terrible temper and caused the Pilgrims all kinds of embarrassment. When I was a kid, learning about him in school he was treated with respect. I was proud to be related to him. The elementary history classes taught the history “facts” but not the real story. Plymouth Colony stole the land they built their town on and the corn the Natives had saved for winter. The natives as in all history got treated badly. As an adult I enjoy reading about Myles and found him to be an interesting character that did some foolish things. He was known for his temper. His own people called him Captain Shrimp. (angry short guy) The story that opened my eyes to the real Myles Standish was a book by Nathaniel Philbrick. One of the stories he mentioned was a meeting with a native chief. The chief made fun of Myles because he was short and short tempered. The chief nicknamed him as ”The Little Pot that Boils Over Quickly” Myles was not happy about that and at their next meeting with the Chief, Myles stole his knife and killed the Chief and two bodyguards. The colony was not happy with his attitude. But Myles Standish stayed as the Colony’s leader and kept them alive for the rest of his life. My friend @BelleStarr reminded me of our history from the beginning of New England. She has an interesting relative in New England's history too. The best and most interesting book I read about the colony is MAYFLOWER ~ A Story of Courage, Community, and War by Nathaniel Philbrick. He told the story better than anyone else that I've read.