The Pilgrim Fathers
Key Vocabulary: The Pilgrim Fathers English settlers who established the Plymouth Colony in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Their leadership came from the religious congregations of Brownists, or Separatist Puritans, who had fled religious persecution Religious persecution The mistreatment of an individual or a group of individuals as a response to their religious beliefs. Puritans English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries, who sought to purify the Church of England of Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and needed to become more protestant.
Mayflower Compact An agreement reached by the Pilgrims on the ship the Mayflower in 1620, just before they landed at Plymouth Rock. The Mayflower Compact bound them to live in a civil society according to their own laws. The Mayflower • English ship • Sailed from Plymouth, England to the New World in 1620 • 102 passengers The Speedwell The Mayflower and Speedwell set sail for America. The Speedwell leaked so badly that both ships turned back to England
Key People King James 1st First king of Britain. Strict in enforcing conformity to the church. Inducing sense of persecution among Puritans. William Bradford Signatory to the Mayflower Compact and went on to serve as Governor of the Plymouth Colony intermittently for 30 years between 1621 and 1657. Captain Christopher Jones Captain of the Mayflower. Wamponoag Native American tribe that allegedly helped the colonists to cultivate their land Squanto A member of the Patuxet tribe best known for being an early liaison between the Indian population in Southern New England and the Mayflower Pilgrims who made their settlement at the site of Squanto's former summer village.
Key Dates: 24th March 1603 King James 6th of Scotland becomes James 1st of England.
1620 Boats set off from Southampton for the New World September 1620 Mayflower left the port - at the spot now called the Mayflower Steps - and, some 66 days later, on 21 December 1620, she arrived at Cape Cod, Massachusetts. November 11th 1620 Mayflower Compact signed. December 25th 1620 where the ‘Mayflower’ could be safely anchored, the Pilgrim Fathers began to build the first house for common use.
February 1621 Bradford claimed that 50% of the Pilgrim Fathers had died as a result of the cold weather and the inadequate housing that they had built for themselves.
Summer of 1621 Pilgrim Fathers had built houses for themselves and had gathered up a small harvest.
1622 Pilgrim Fathers had built a fort to protect themselves. It also served as a meeting place to discuss issues of government within the new colony.
1630 their numbers were such that the Puritans were able to establish the Massachusetts Bay Company and establish Boston, which was to grow as a major port.