PLYMOUTH DECLARATION OF RIGHTS-PLYMOUTH ROCK inces, assigning each to persons named, Mayflower had unkindly refused to let the and at their last meeting (April, 1635) passengers have a variety by sharing their they caused to be entered upon their own coarse food with them. At times minutes the following record: "We have that winter the huts at New Plymouth been bereaved of friends; oppressed by were half buried in snow-drifts. The losses, expenses, and troubles; assailed Pilgrims trembled in fear of the surroundbefore the privy council again and again ing Indians, but felt comforted by the with groundless charges; weakened by the voice of one of them as he went through French and other foes without and with the new village, crying, Welcome, Engin the realm; and what remains is only lishmen! Welcome, Englishmen!" It a breathless carcass. We therefore now was Samoset, who had learned a few Engresign the patent to the King, first re- lish words from English sailors at Moheserving all grants by us made and all gan. He afterwards brought to New vested rights-a patent we have holden Plymouth Squanto, whom Hunt kidabout fifteen years." Plymouth Declaration of Rights. In 1636 the Plymouth Colony adopted a body of laws called "The General Fundamentals." The first article declared That nc act, imposition, law, or ordinance be made or imposed upon us at present or to come but such as shall be enacted by the consent of the body of freemen or associates, or their representatives legally as sembled; which is according to the free liberties of the freeborn people of Eng land." The second article read: "And for the well governing of this colony, it is also ordered that there be free elections annually of governor, deputy governor, and assistants by the vote of the freemen of this corporation." These and other fundamentals are dated 1636, and were revised in 1671. The style of enactment is: "We, the associates of the colony of New Plimouth, coming hither as freeborn subjects of the kingdom of England, endowed with all and singular the privileges belonging to each, being assembled, do enact," etc. The seal adopted by the Plymouth Colony was called the "Old Colony" seal, because Plymouth Colony was established before Massachusetts Bay Colony. Plymouth, NEW, universally known as the Plymouth Settlement, was founded by Pilgrims from Holland in 1620. Their first care on landing from the Mayflower was to build a rude fort and plant five cannon upon it which they had brought with them. Then they "fell to building houses." Distributed into nineteen families, they all worked diligently until nearly all were prostrated by sickness. There were no delicacies for the sick and very little wholesome food. The sailors of the 66 napped. Squanto had returned, and through him an acquaintance and friendship were formed with Massasoit. The town lay on a slope; and when, six years after the arrival of the Mayflower, it was visited by Dutch commissioners, the houses were built of hewn timber, and the whole village was surrounded by a palisade of timbers driven into the ground and pointed at the top, a mile in circuit, and at the end of the streets were three gates made of strong beams. In the centre of the village was the governor's house, before which was a square enclosure bearing four mounted swivels. Upon an eminence was a square house, with a flat roof, made of thick sawed planks, stayed with oak beams, upon which were mounted six 5-pounder cannon. The lower part of this building was used for a church, where worshippers were seen with loaded muskets. See PILGRIM FATHERS. They Plymouth Rock. The passengers on the Mayflower, on account of great privations and exposure in their winter houses at New Plymouth, sickened, and a large number of them died before the warm spring weather of 1621 arrived. were buried near the rock on which the great body of the Pilgrims landed. Lest the Indians who might come there should see their weakness by the great mortality, the graves were seeded over, and the rock remained the enduring monument and guide. Thomas Faunce, who died in 1746, was a ruling elder in the first church at New Plymouth, and knew some of the Mayflower's passengers, who showed him the rock on which they landed. On hearing that it was about to be covered by the erection of a wharf, the venerable man was so affected that he wept. His tears probably saved that rock from oblivion, a fragment of which was carefully preserved at New Plymouth. Before the Kevolution the sea had washed up sand him, one on each side of the 66 throne." One of these was Matoa, or Pocahontas, who subsequently made a conspicuous figure in Virginia history. When Smith was brought before Powhatan, the scene that ensued was impressive. There were at least 200 warriors present. The emperor wore a mantle of raccoon skins and a headdress of eagle's feathers. The room was a long house, or arbor, made of boughs. The warriors stood in rows on each side in their gayest attire, and back of them as many women, with their necks painted red, their heads covered with the white down of birds, and strings of white beads falling over their bosoms. The captive was received with a shout, when the Queen of Appomattox" brought water for him to wash his hands, and another woman a bunch of feathers to dry them with. Then he was feasted, and afterwards a solemn council was held, by which he was doomed to die. Two large stones were brought before the emperor, when Smith was dragged to them, his arms were pinioned, and his head placed upon them. Pocahontas petitioned her father to spare the captive's life, but in vain. Huge clubs were raised by strong men to beat out his brains, when Pocahontas, the 66 PLYMOUTH ROCK AND MONUMENT. and buried the rock. This sand was removed, and in attempting to move the rock it split asunder. The upper half, or shell, was taken to the middle of the village. In 1834 it was removed from the town square to a position in front of Pilgrim Hall, where it was enclosed in an iron railing, lost all its historical interest, and was reduced to a vulgar stone. In September, 1880, the citizens wisely took the fragment back and reunited it to the other portion, when it resumed its original dignity and significance. Pocahontas. When Capt. John Smith was on trial before Powhatan, two of the emperor's daughters occupied seats near POCAHONTAS. "king's dearest daughter," who, Smith says in his narrative, was "sixteen or eighteen years" old, sprang from her was ruthlessly torn from her kindred by a father's side, clasped the prisoner's head with her arms, and laid her own head upon his. rude sea captain and kept a prisoner several months (see ARGALL, SAMUEL). That wicked act proved a blessing to the colony. Powhatan yielded to his daughter, and While she was a captive mutual love was consented to spare Smith, who was released engendered between Pocahontas and John and sent with an Indian escort to James- Rolfe, a young Englishman of good family town. The emperor and his people prom- and education. He was a Christian, she ised to be friends of the English. Two was a pagan. "Is it not my duty," he years after this event the Indians con- said, "to lead the blind into light?" He spired to exterminate the white people. labored for her enlightenment and converAgain Pocahontas was an angel of deliver- sion, and succeeded. The young princess ance to them. She heard of the plan, and on was baptized at a font "hollowed out like a dark and stormy night left her father's a canoe" in the little chapel at Jamescabin, sped to Jamestown, informed Smith town, whose columns were rough pineof the danger, and was back to her couch trees; its rude pews were of "sweetbefore the dawn. The English regarded smelling cedar," and the rough com. the gentle Indian princess with great af- munion-table and pulpit of black walnut. fection; and yet, when Smith had left the She received the Christian name of colony, and the Indians, offended, would Rebecca-the first Christian convert in help them to food no longer, that kind girl Virginia. Not long afterwards-on a charming day in April, 1613-Pocahontas, with her father's consent, stood before the chancel of the chapel with Rolfe, a young widower, her affianced, and was married to him by MARRIAGE OF POCAHONTAS. The "Lady Rebecca" received great attentions at Court and from all below it. She was entertained by the Lord Bishop of London, and at Court she was treated with the respect due to the daughter of a monarch. The silly King James was angry because one of his subjects dared marry a lady of royal blood! And Captain Smith, for fear of displeasing the royal bigot, would not allow her to call him "father," as she desired to do, and her loving heart was grieved. The King, in his absurd dreams of the divinity of the royal prerogative, imagined Rolfe or his descendants might claim the crown of Vir distinguished man in Virginia, and his descendants are found among the most honorable citizens of that commonwealth. the Rev. Mr. Whittaker, the rector. All ginia on behalf of his royal wife; and the people of Jamestown were pleased spec- he asked the privy council if the hustators. The chapel was trimmed with ever- band had not committed treason! Pocagreens, wild flowers, and scarlet-berried hontas remained in England about a year; holly. Pocahontas was dressed in a sim- and when, with her husband and son, ple tunic of white muslin from the looms she was about to return to Virginia, with of Dacca. On her head was a long and her father's chief councillor, she was seized flowing veil, and hanging loosely to her with small-pox at Gravesend, and died feet was a robe of rich stuff presented by in June, 1617. Her remains lie within the governor, Sir Thomas Dale, fancifully the parish church-yard at Gravesend. Her embroidered by herself and her maidens. son, Thomas Rolfe, afterwards became a A gaudy fillet encircled her head, and held the plumage of birds of gorgeous colors, while her wrists and ankles were adorned with the simple jewelry of the native workshops. When the ceremony was ended, the eucharist was administered, was a lawyer, and his mother was an with bread from the wheat-fields around English actress. They both died early. Jamestown and wine from the grapes of The son was adopted by John Allan, a the adjacent forest. Her brothers and sis- rich merchant, who had no children of ters and forest maidens were present; also his own, and Edgar was educated partly the governor and council, and five English- at an academy in Richmond, Va., and at women-all that were in the colony-who the University of Virginia. In 1829 he afterwards returned to England. Rolfe published a volume of his poems. His and his spouse "lived civilly and lovingly foster-father procured him a cadetship together" until Governor Dale returned to at West Point. There he neglected his England (1616), when they and the Eng- studies, drank to excess, and was expelled. lishwomen in Virginia accompanied him. After that young Poe's conduct seems Poe, EDGAR ALLAN, poet; born in Boston, Mass., Jan. 19, 1809. His father POINSETT-POLITICAL PARTIES IN THE UNITED STATES hours, the Indians slowly retreating from tree to tree, while Cornstalk encouraged them with the words, "Be strong!" A desultory fire was kept up until sunset; and during the night the Indians re to have been so obnoxious to Mr. Allan hour after they were discovered a bloody that he was left unmentioned in that battle was raging. It continued several gentleman's will. Thrown upon his own resources, young Poe turned to literature as a means for earning a livelihood, and was successful as a writer of both prose and poetry; but his dissipated habits kept him poor. He married a charming treated, having lost, in killed and woundyoung girl, and removed to New York in 1837. His wife died in 1848. Poe's most remarkable literary production, The Raven, was published in 1845. At Baltimore in October, 1849, he was discovered in the streets insensible. He was taken to Baltimore, where he died in a hospital, Oct. 7, 1849. ed, about 150 men. The Virginians lost about one-half their commissioned officers. Their entire loss was about seventy killed and a large number wounded. Pokanoket Indians. See WAMPANOAG INDIANS. Political Parties in the United States. Before the Revolution the two political Poinsett, JOEL ROBERTS, legislator; parties in America were the Whigs and born in Charleston, S. C., March 2, 1779; Tories. The latter favored royalty, and educated at Timothy Dwight's school, the former, including Sons of Liberty, Greenfield, Conn., at Edinburgh Univer- Liberty Men, and Patriots, advocated insity, and the Woolwich Academy, Eng- dependence. At the close of the Revoluland. In 1809 he was sent to the South tion the Whig party divided into ParticuAmerican states by the President for the larists, favoring State sovereignty and purpose of inquiring into the prospects advocating confederation; and Strong Govof the Spanish colonies winning their in- ernment, favoring a constitution. In 1787 dependence. While on this mission he was the Particularists became Anti-federalists notified that the Spanish authorities in and the Strong Government party FederalPeru had seized a number of American ists. Since this, the history of the varivessels. Appealing to the republican gov- ous political parties in the United States ernment for assistance, he was authorized has been as follows: to use force in the recapture of the ships, which he successfully accomplished. He was a member of Congress in 1821-25, and in the latter year was appointed United States minister to Mexico. President Van Buren appointed him Secretary of War in 1837. He published his notes on Mexico, made in 1822, with a historical sketch of the revolution. He died in Statesburg, S. C., Dec. 12, 1851. PRINCIPAL PARTIES. Federal, 1787-1816.-Formed from the Strong Government or Constitutional party. Elected two Presidents: Washing. ton, two terms, and Adams, one term. Advocated a tariff; internal revenue; funding the public debt; a United States bank; a militia; assumption of State debt by the government; favored England as against France; opposed a war with England and a protective tariff. ington, John Adams, Hamilton, Madison, and Jay were among its principal supporters. Wash Point Pleasant, BATTLE AT. Col. Andrew Lewis led the left wing of the Virginia forces in Dunmore's War in the summer and autumn of 1774. He had about 1,200 men, and, crossing the mountain-ranges, struck the Great Kanawha Democratic Republican, 1793 - 1828.— and followed it to the Ohio, and there Formed from the Anti-federal (1787-93), encamped, Oct. 6. Expecting Dunmore the Republican or Jeffersonian party with the right wing, he did not cast up (1791-93), and Democrats or sympathizintrenchments, and in this exposed situ- ers with the French Revolutionists (1791ation was attacked (Oct. 10) by 1,000 93). Elected three Presidents: Jefferson, chosen warriors of the Western Confed- two terms; Madison, two terms; Monroe, eracy, led by the giant chief Cornstalk, two terms. Favored State rights; enwho came from Pickaway Plains, and larged freedom; France as against EngLogan, the Mingo chief. So stealthily land; war with England; internal imdid the Indians approach that within an provement; purchase of Louisiana; pur |