From England To America
In the early 1600's, the Church of England (also known as the Anglican Church) was experiencing major conflict. James I was the head of the church during this time and was strongly disliked by a group within the church known as the Puritans. The Puritans were people who thought the Church of England was too much like the Catholic Church and they wanted to purify the church of all things Catholic while still remaining members.
There was another group who, unlike the Puritans, did not want to remain members of the Church. They were known as Separatists because they wanted to leave the Anglican Church and start their own congregation. While King James tolerated the Puritans because many were highly educated and prosperous, he strongly disliked the Separatists. He thought they were secretly meeting to say bad things about him and the bishops. He threatened to "harry them out of the land." (Keller 49)
In 1607 an Anglican bishop put members of an important Separatists congregation in prison. They were shocked by the persecution and the remaining members sailed to Holland, a tolerant nation. Though they could now practice their religion freely, the Separatists felt like it was hard for them to maintain their English culture. (Keller 49) They were afraid that the Dutch influence was effecting their children too much. In 1619, the Separatists were offered a trip to the Chesapeake Bay to expand the struggling colony of the Virginia Company. They were assured religious freedom and land. If they made a profit off the land, they would get half of it and eventually own the land.
In September of 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England. There were 102 passengers on board (Philbrick 3). There were only about 50 Separatists on board, the rest were “Strangers”. They were called Strangers by the Separatists because they “were not of their faith” (Keller 49). The Separatists also took on a new name-Pilgrims. They were called this because they thought of their journey as a religious pilgrimage. Originally, there was supposed to be two ships making the trip: the Speedwell and the Mayflower; however, almost immediately after setting sail, the Speedwell proved unseaworthy and they had to return to port (The Mayflower). The extra passengers led to an even more crowded Mayflower, and an even more miserable trip. “Because of the delay caused by the leaky Speedwell, the Mayflower had to cross the Atlantic at the height of storm season.” (The Mayflower) The fierce storms caused structural damage to the Mayflower and the passengers had to “hammer in a post for support” (Philbrick 4). The storms also caused seasickness and disease.
While on the Mayflower, the Pilgrims and Strangers bickered constantly. They soon realized that if they were going to make their colony thrive, they would need to work together, so they wrote a document called the Mayflower Compact. The Mayflower Compact stated that even though they were “loyal subjects of…King James,” they now formed a “civil body politic” (The Mayflower Compact). This document also gave them power to pass laws that would benefit the colony (Keller 50).
The trip from England to America took the Mayflower sixty-five days, twice as long as it should have taken, and they did not even end up in the right spot. The water had carried them much farther north to Cape Cod, which was technically out of the jurisdiction of the Virginia Company (Keller 49). Unfortunately, the ship landed there right at the beginning of winter. During this time, the colonist ferried back and forth from the ship to land to build their settlement. (Plymouth Colony) Their first winter in New England was brutal. With no real shelter, the Pilgrims and Strangers were open to the bitter cold and many contracted sicknesses. By the end of the first year, only half of the settlers remained.
There was another group who, unlike the Puritans, did not want to remain members of the Church. They were known as Separatists because they wanted to leave the Anglican Church and start their own congregation. While King James tolerated the Puritans because many were highly educated and prosperous, he strongly disliked the Separatists. He thought they were secretly meeting to say bad things about him and the bishops. He threatened to "harry them out of the land." (Keller 49)
In 1607 an Anglican bishop put members of an important Separatists congregation in prison. They were shocked by the persecution and the remaining members sailed to Holland, a tolerant nation. Though they could now practice their religion freely, the Separatists felt like it was hard for them to maintain their English culture. (Keller 49) They were afraid that the Dutch influence was effecting their children too much. In 1619, the Separatists were offered a trip to the Chesapeake Bay to expand the struggling colony of the Virginia Company. They were assured religious freedom and land. If they made a profit off the land, they would get half of it and eventually own the land.
In September of 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England. There were 102 passengers on board (Philbrick 3). There were only about 50 Separatists on board, the rest were “Strangers”. They were called Strangers by the Separatists because they “were not of their faith” (Keller 49). The Separatists also took on a new name-Pilgrims. They were called this because they thought of their journey as a religious pilgrimage. Originally, there was supposed to be two ships making the trip: the Speedwell and the Mayflower; however, almost immediately after setting sail, the Speedwell proved unseaworthy and they had to return to port (The Mayflower). The extra passengers led to an even more crowded Mayflower, and an even more miserable trip. “Because of the delay caused by the leaky Speedwell, the Mayflower had to cross the Atlantic at the height of storm season.” (The Mayflower) The fierce storms caused structural damage to the Mayflower and the passengers had to “hammer in a post for support” (Philbrick 4). The storms also caused seasickness and disease.
While on the Mayflower, the Pilgrims and Strangers bickered constantly. They soon realized that if they were going to make their colony thrive, they would need to work together, so they wrote a document called the Mayflower Compact. The Mayflower Compact stated that even though they were “loyal subjects of…King James,” they now formed a “civil body politic” (The Mayflower Compact). This document also gave them power to pass laws that would benefit the colony (Keller 50).
The trip from England to America took the Mayflower sixty-five days, twice as long as it should have taken, and they did not even end up in the right spot. The water had carried them much farther north to Cape Cod, which was technically out of the jurisdiction of the Virginia Company (Keller 49). Unfortunately, the ship landed there right at the beginning of winter. During this time, the colonist ferried back and forth from the ship to land to build their settlement. (Plymouth Colony) Their first winter in New England was brutal. With no real shelter, the Pilgrims and Strangers were open to the bitter cold and many contracted sicknesses. By the end of the first year, only half of the settlers remained.