Another question about history ...sry.

Question

But is it accurate to say that the Pilgrims 'started from scratch' when they arrived in America?

Whether the Pilgrims "started from scratch" depends upon how you define this phrase. Here are three definitions I found.

[A] To start from scratch is to begin from the beginning, to set out on some action or process without any prior preparation, knowledge or advantage.

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-sta4.htm

You are starting from scratch when you start a project from the very beginning.

http://www.goenglish.com/StartFromScratch.asp

to start (again) from the very beginning; also, to start without resources.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/start+from+scratch

As you can see, the definitions vary, depending upon the existence of resources. The Pilgrims had some resources -- both what they brought with them and what the Natives contributed to their colony. On the other hand, the Pilgrims did start the colony from the beginning.