The Pilgrims: Separating Fact from Fiction
Religious Problems in England 1530 King Henry VIII “protested” against the Roman Catholic Church (RCC) Established the Church of England 1553 Queen Mary I abolished the Church of England Returned England to the RCC 1559 Queen Elizabeth I reinstituted the Church of England…a protestant church
Puritan Problems in England Some people in England felt the Church of England was too much like the Roman Catholic Church They began to protest and worship separately people who wanted to clean up or “purify” the Church of England were called “Puritans”
Puritan Problems in England Queen Elizabeth I passed laws against Puritans (jail time, fines, etc.) King James I passed more laws against Puritans (jail time, fines, etc.) Ordered new translation of the bible (in English) known as the King James Version
Puritans Leave England 1608 some Puritans decided to leave England (to avoid persecution) They were called “Separatists” They moved to Leiden, Holland Holland was “Protestant” (anti-RCC) King of Holland allowed the English Puritan Separatists to worship their own way (Religious Tolerance)
Puritans Leave Holland English Puritan Separatists stayed in Holland about 12 years They watched their kids grow up like Dutch kids (clothing, games, language, etc.) They were afraid of losing their English culture and language 1617 these Puritan Separatists began looking for new land in the New World
Puritans Sail for America 1619-1620 Separatists made two business deals to get to America: They hired a fishing ship, “Speedwell, ” to move some Puritans from Holland to VA
Puritans Sail for America 1619-1620 Separatists made two business deals to get to America: They contracted w/ London-based “Merchant Adventurers” to use “Mayflower” for move to VA These Puritans had to work for Merchant Adventurers to pay off their travel debts
Delayed Departure Mayflower and Speedwell were supposed to leave in July Speedwell had too much sail, caused excessive leaking…never made the trip Bad weather delayed departure of the Mayflower until September 102 passengers plus 26 crew onboard 41 “Pilgrims” and 61 “Strangers”
Crossing the Atlantic Ship was overcrowded Passengers stayed on Main Deck by September , food was rotting and running low
Crossing the Atlantic Mayflower encountered several bad storms Most passengers were very seasick
Crossing the Atlantic Elizabeth Hopkins gave birth to a baby boy She named the baby “Oceanus”
Crossing the Atlantic John Howland went on deck for fresh air He was tossed overboard He grabbed a rope and was hauled back on board
Crossing the Atlantic November, 1620 Mayflower arrived off Cape Cod, MA Tried to sail south to Virginia Captain decided to stay near Massachusetts
Deciding Where to Land Pilgrims and Strangers spent one month exploring for the best possible place to land They choose a small, sheltered, deep-water bay They named it Plymouth
Before Disembarking… Pilgrims and Strangers wrote a list of rules for the new colony 41 men signed it Document is called the “Mayflower Compact” first document in America’s “democratic” history of self-government
“All Ashore!” Colonists “landed” on Dec 16, 1620 They built 7 houses that winter April, 1621 Mayflower returned to England 50 colonists were already dead
The Pilgrims: Separating Fact from Fiction