Regarding “Censoring the Pilgrims” (Review & Outlook, Nov. 23): As the author of a book on the Pilgrims, I had to research their relationship with the surrounding Wampanoag confederacy. The Pilgrims did build on land cleared and settled by the Patuxet tribe, which was wiped out by plague in the great dying of 1616-19; this was an unintentional gift. But their relationship with the Wampanoags was firm and peaceful for 50 years until King Philip’s War. This relationship was based on a treaty of mutual protection, signed on March 22, 1621, by Gov. John Carver and the sachem Ousamequin, better known as Massasoit. This was...

The statue of Chief Massasoit, the leader of the Wampanoag tribe, in Plymouth, Mass.

Photo: bryan r. smith/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Regarding “Censoring the Pilgrims” (Review & Outlook, Nov. 23): As the author of a book on the Pilgrims, I had to research their relationship with the surrounding Wampanoag confederacy. The Pilgrims did build on land cleared and settled by the Patuxet tribe, which was wiped out by plague in the great dying of 1616-19; this was an unintentional gift. But their relationship with the Wampanoags was firm and peaceful for 50 years until King Philip’s War. This relationship was based on a treaty of mutual protection, signed on March 22, 1621, by Gov. John Carver and the sachem Ousamequin, better known as Massasoit. This was the first treaty between Native Americans and those coming to the New World.

The Wampanoags were important to the Pilgrims’ survival, assisting them in growing crops, hunting and fishing and understanding native edible plants. Their contribution is incalculable. The Pilgrims in return cared for their sick during an ensuing smallpox epidemic.

I weep for all the injustices wreaked upon the Native Americans as this country grew. But you cannot rewrite history. It’s a fact that the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags lived in peace with each other for a long time.

The Wampanoags have recently been recognized federally and given some tribal lands. It isn’t enough for their contributions, but it’s a beginning. After all, that first Thanksgiving was a celebration shared by Pilgrims and Wampanoags.

Noelle A. Granger, Ph.D.

Durham, N.C.