The Pilgrims and the Mayflower Facts

_Elsa_

Elsa is ready to start googling again. She grabs a cup of hot coffee and heads over to her computer.

‘Why Did the Pilgrims Come to America?

The pilgrims came to America in search of religious freedom. At the time, England required its citizens to belong to the Church of England. People wanted to practice their religious beliefs freely, and so many fled to the Netherlands, where laws were more flexible. After several years there, fearing the loss of their native language and cultural heritage, they decided to set out for the New World and build a new life. With the help of the Virginia Company’s financing, the pilgrims boarded the Mayflower in 1620 and sailed to the Americas. 

Not all the passengers on the Mayflower were seeking a separation from the Church of England. Some were merely sympathetic to the cause and seeking a new life. Others were skilled workers, such as craftsmen or soldiers, who served vital roles in the success of both the voyage and the new settlement.

Life in Plymouth - After a difficult voyage, the pilgrims were thrilled to land and start a new life. Together, they did just that as they founded Plymouth Colony.

How Did the Pilgrims End Up in Plymouth?

The Mayflower was intended to land in Virginia, but storms shifted the ship’s course north. As a result, they landed in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. After exploring the area, the Mayflower pilgrims eventually decided to stay, partially due to harsh seas and dwindling supplies.’ (Source)

‘Throughout that first brutal winter, most of the colonists remained on board the ship, where they suffered from exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring. In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore, where they received an astonishing visit from an Abenaki Native American who greeted them in English. 

Several days later, he returned with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery before escaping to London and returning to his homeland on an exploratory expedition. Squanto taught the Pilgrims, weakened by malnutrition and illness, how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe, which would endure for more than 50 years and tragically remains one of the sole examples of harmony between European colonists and Native Americans.’ (Source)

Let’s continue - What Was Life Like in Plymouth?

Start at the beginning – Tiffi co-authors the Mayflower Story