"The winter of 1620-21 took a deadly toll on Plymouth Colony. The Pilgrims had only just begun to construct their homes when illness began spreading through the settlement. Their flimsy shelters offered little protection from the freezing weather. As dysentery, pneumonia, and scurvy ravaged the colony, only a handful were left to build the settlement, care for the sick, and bury the dead. And the Pilgrims sensed that nearby Indians were waiting patiently for the right moment to strike. But they knew that if they were going to survive in the New World, they would need to befriend the Native people who had lived in the region for generations.

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