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Squanto Facts & Worksheets

Squanto, also known as Tisquantum, was a Native American of the Patuxet tribe. He served as an interpreter and guide to the first pilgrim settlers who arrived at Plymouth in the 1620s.

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Squanto was a Native American who was a member of the Patuxet people known for teaching the pilgrims of Plymouth about survival in New England.

See the fact file below for more information on Squanto or alternatively, you can download our 26-page Squanto worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Squanto

  • The main difference he had from his fellow Native Americans was his ability and fluency in speaking English which he used in communicating with the pilgrims.
  • He learned to speak English after being captured by English explorers and sold into slavery in Europe.
  • He was thought to have been enslaved several times throughout his life, but historians disagreed, believing that he was only captured for slavery once.

Early Life

  • Before his first contact with Europeans, he had few to no records.
  • According to written records in Salisbury, he was more than twenty years old when he was captured and taken to Spain in 1614. This indicated that he was born around 1585.
  • The nation to which he belonged, Patuxets, settled in the coastal area of Cape Cod Bay and counted 2000 persons, according to what he told an English trader. They spoke an Eastern Algonquian dialect, allowing effective communication among Southern New England settlers. Their nation’s name referred to Morison as “at the little falls.”

European Contact

  • Even during the 1500s, the settlers of southern New England had sporadic contact with European explorers.
  • Every spring since 1581, fishermen from Bristol, Normandy, and Brittany have landed on the banks of Newfoundland to bring a large marine fish known as cod to Southern Europe.
  • The Europeans may have introduced diseases that they were unfamiliar with.
  • When the English pilgrims on the Mayflower arrived on the island, they discovered an inhabited village and settled there. Trade with other nations began, which fueled intertribal rivalry.

Kidnappings

  • George Weymouth searched for a possible settlement in upper New England in 1605. When they came across a hunting party, they decided to kidnap several Indigenous people, claiming that it was necessary for their journey.
  • In 1614, John Smith led an expedition to collect fish and furs along the coasts of Maine and Massachusetts. Smith returned to England on one of the ships, leaving Thomas Hunt in command of the second.
  • Hunt decided to increase the value of his shipment by transporting humans.
  • He was one of 20 Indigenous people enticed to board Hunt’s ship by the promise of trade, and they were abducted along with seven other Nauset captives. The ship then set sail for Malaga.
  • Hunt took them to the Strait of Gibraltar to sell his goods alongside his captives, but the friers discovered his kidnapping activity and took the Indigenous people who had not yet been sold to be taught about the Christian faith.

Return to New England

  • According to historian Prowse, he was enslaved in Spain for four years.
  • According to John Smith, he managed to flee to England, where he lived free of slavery.
  • Plymouth Governor William Bradford recorded him as living in Cornhill, London. He shared a home with Master John Slanie, a merchant and shipbuilder.
  • According to the Plymouth Council, he arrived in Newfoundland in 1622, accompanied by Captain Mason as Governor. He met Thomas Dermer, an adventurer who had accompanied Smith on his 1615 voyage, and convinced him to stay in Newfoundland.
  • He and Dermer sailed down the New England coast in 1619. They were sailing towards Massachusetts Bay when they discovered that all of his village’s inhabitants had died. They continued to the village of Nemasket. Dermer had him transferred to a village near Bristol.
  • After a few days, Chief Massasoit arrived at Nemasket, accompanied by 50 warriors. It was unclear whether they had met previously or met for the first time in the village near Bristol.
  • In June 1620, Dermer returned to Nemasket and discovered that the Indigenous people already distrusted the English because European coastal vessels lured Indigenous people on board only to kill them. They would have killed him if it hadn’t been for Dermer’s good relations with the Indigenous people.
  • After some time, indigenous people continued to attack him and Dermer, who received 14 serious wounds. Dermer fled to Virginia and died there.
  • His next appearance was in Plymouth Colony to the Pilgrims.

Plymouth Colony

  • The Massachusetts indigenous people, led by Chief Massasoit, settled to the north of Plymouth Colony.
  • He lived alongside the Pokanokets as the pilgrims established the site of Plymouth Colony in the former Patuxets’ habitation.
  • Massasoit was torn between forming an alliance with the Plymouth colonists and assembling a tribal coalition to drive the colonists away. They persuaded all of Massachusetts’ so-called Powachs to hate the colonists.
  • He was in England at the time and advised Massasoit to maintain good relations with the Plymouth colonists because they would willingly bow to him.
  • He worked as a translator for Edward Winslow.
  • Plymouth colonists and Pokanoket settlers reached a peace agreement.

Later Life

  • He became friends with Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford. Bradford placed a high value on him in terms of governing. He taught the colonists’ survival skills.
  • He remained committed to the colonists. The Pokanoket settlers relied on him because he was the only way for them to communicate with the indigenous people, and he served as the mediator between every indigenous people and colonist contact for nearly two years.
  • After Bradford died of illness, he led the English settlers. Recognizing his Christian conversion, he was dubbed “the Englishmen’s god.”
  • Many Native Americans were involved in assassinations during the 17th century. Metacomet, Massasoit’s son, was suspected of murdering John Sassamon. It resulted in King Philip’s War.
  • The involvement of Native Americans in assassination events was used to support Massasoit’s claim that he was poisoned.
  • Before he died, he told Bradford that he wanted to go to God in Heaven and leave his property to his English friends so they could remember his love.
  • He was buried in Chatham Port.

Legacy

  • His historical records were written by English Separatists who regarded him and other Native Americans as subordinates.
  • He, his culture, and his religion were not given much weight. Nonetheless, Bradford claimed that by playing his own game, Squanto was enriching himself.
  • His life inspired a wide range of literature to guide children toward patriotism and religion.
  • He was also mentioned in high school textbooks and children’s religious inspiration books in the early twentieth century.
  • Even though his life was greatly fictionalized, it was still accurately told.

Squanto Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Squanto across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Squanto worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Squanto, also known as Tisquantum, who was a Native American of the Patuxet tribe. He served as an interpreter and guide to the first pilgrim settlers who arrived in Plymouth in the 1620s. He is best known for helping them survive their first winter in the New World.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Squanto Facts
  • Squanto Story
  • Down & Across
  • The Pilgrims’ Friend
  • Series of Events
  • Happy Thanksgiving
  • Fill in the Blanks
  • A True Hero
  • Word Hunt
  • Matching Game
  • Real or Unreal

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Squanto known for?

Squanto was a Native American, or Indigenous people, who was a member of the Patuxet people known for teaching the pilgrims of Plymouth about survival in New England. The main difference he had from his fellow Native Americans was his ability and fluency in speaking English which he used in communicating with the pilgrims.

How did Squanto betray Pilgrims?

He was in England at the time and advised Massasoit to maintain good relations with the Plymouth colonists because they would willingly bow to him.

Why did Squanto help the Pilgrims?

He became friends with Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford. Bradford placed a high value on him in terms of governing. He taught the colonists’ survival skills.

How did Squanto know English?

He learned to speak English after being captured by English explorers and sold into slavery in Europe.

What were Squanto’s dying words?

Before he died, he told Bradford that he wanted to go to God in Heaven and leave his property to his English friends so they could remember his love.

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Link will appear as Squanto Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, June 27, 2018

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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