What Do The Flintstones and Plymouth Have In Common?

They both have pebbles. Uncovering the exaggeration and lies of Plymouth Rock

Photo by jasmin chew from Pexels, Photo by Dominika Roseclay from Pexels, Edited by Author on Canva

On Thanksgiving, my Dad and I watched Plymouth/Patuxet’s National Day of Mourning on Livestream. It was a deeply moving and inspiring event to honor Native Peoples and dispel the myths associated with Thanksgiving. The popular myth divorces Thanksgiving from its likely origin. In 1637, John Winthrop massacred hundreds of Pequot families and thanked God for the victory. I’m going to zone in on a different, yet related myth. When the speakers at the National Day of Mourning referenced the “Plymouth Pebble” and the lies surrounding it, I became curious.

If you’ve gone to Plymouth to see the little rock, you may be one of many who utter these two words, “That’s it?”

The most extravagant thing about viewing the rock is the surrounding protective structure. The colosseum-like stone wall and black fencing provide a sense of grandeur the rock itself lacks. What’s the lie about the Plymouth Pebble? My Dad and I hit up Google to get some more information.

It takes but a few seconds to find out that our history books have lied. Hardly a surprise. When taking the course History of Native Americans of New England in high school, I learned that of the 368 treaties signed by European and Native American people, all…