14 Common Misconceptions about American History

11. Those Austere Pilgrims

So, we’re all given the image of the Pilgrims as this hyper religious people who fled the old country in search of their own special religious zealotry. They’re the kind of people who happily adopt a stone face and wear blacks, grays, and buckles with the glee of heavily sedated schoolchildren. Not true. In fact, pilgrims eschewed buckles, because they were a needless expense. Remember that these were a boring people who were super into being humble. They preferred laces, in truth. What the Pilgrims loved, though, was color. They brought dyes from England and regularly wore colorful clothing. Probably because when you practice a religion of denial, you’ll take flare where you can get it.