The 1621 agreement depended on mutual benefit.

Plymouth’s refusal showed that mutuality had limits.

For Tisquantum, those limits kept him alive.

For Ousamequin, they were evidence that the newcomers could not be treated as ordinary subordinate allies.

The fragile diplomacy of early Plymouth was already beginning to tilt.

A Colony That Was Growing More Confident

The Plymouth Tisquantum first encountered in 1621 was weak.

By 1622, it was still fragile but more established.

The colonists had survived another year.

They had gained experience with local agriculture and trade.