Comprehensive Study Notes on the Pilgrims at Plymouth

Key Vocabulary

  • accommodate [uh-KOM-uh-deyt]: To allow; to oblige someone in need.

  • conscience [KON-shuhns]: The inborn sense of right and wrong.

  • sympathetic [sim-puh-THET-ik]: Looking upon with compassion or favor.

Religious Conflict and the Rise of Puritans in England

  • Background of Conflict:

    • While colonization efforts were progressing in Virginia, conflict between the Church of England and various Christian groups was escalating in England.
    • Late in the 16th century, the Church of England separated from the Roman Catholic Church.
    • A group of Christians believed that the Church of England still retained too many remnants, traditions, attitudes, and teachings from Romanism.

  • Definition and Goals of Puritans:

    • Because this group sought to "purify" the Church of England of Catholic remnants, they were termed Puritans.
    • The Puritans specifically aimed to lessen the power of the bishops who controlled the Church.

  • Government Control and Church Authority:

    • The Church of England functioned as the official state church of England.
    • The king served as the official head of the Church of England, making church governance a direct matter of state authority.
    • Consequently, the king and the English government exercised little patience toward Puritan dissenters.

The Separatist Movement and Relocation to Holland

  • Division Among Puritans:

    • Puritans divided into two primary factions:
    • Those who wanted to reform and purify the Church of England from within.
    • Those who concluded that the church was incapable of changing and that believers needed to leave the institution completely. This group became known as Separatists due to their desire to separate entirely from the Church of England.

  • Legal Persecution:

    • National laws in England explicitly barred Separatists from legally holding their own religious services.
    • Separatists were legally required to attend services of the state church or face imprisonment.

  • Relocation to Holland (1608):

    • In 1608, a group of Separatists relocated their families to Holland.
    • The Dutch offered religious freedom to accommodate the Separatists' worship.
    • However, the Englishmen faced economic hardship because they were unable to secure jobs in Holland.

  • Appeal to the King:

    • The Separatists petitioned the English king for permission to return to their homeland and worship in accordance with their consciences.
    • An agreeable compromise was reached: the king allowed the Separatists to move to the New World, where they could establish a colony and worship without religious persecution.

Securing a Grant in the New World

  • Sir Edwin Sandys:

    • The Separatists obtained a colonial grant for land in Virginia from Sir Edwin Sandys, a proprietor of the Virginia Colony.
    • Sir Edwin Sandys was not personally a Separatist nor particularly sympathetic to their specific religious views, but he understood their convictions and required additional colonists for his land grant.

  • Original Granted Territory:

    • Sandys assigned them land located north of the Jamestown settlements, in the area surrounding the mouth of the Hudson River (in the region of present-day New York).

Prior Exploration by Captain John Smith

  • Exploration of the Landing Site:
    • The location where the Pilgrims ultimately landed had been previously explored by Captain John Smith (the same Captain Smith who played a prominent role in the Jamestown settlement).
    • Captain John Smith surveyed and explored this specific site during an expedition along the New England coast in 1614.

The Mayflower Voyage and Arrival at Plymouth

  • Departure:

    • The Separatists (who came to be called Pilgrims) departed from Plymouth, England, in September 1620.

  • Passenger Composition:

    • Pilgrims: Composed roughly half of the colonial passengers on board.
    • The Strangers: The remaining settlers were craftsmen and workers recruited directly by the Virginia Company. The Pilgrims referred to these non-Separatist settlers as "the Strangers."

  • The Ship and Voyage Conditions:

    • The settlers traveled on a single vessel named the Mayflower.
    • The Mayflower encountered severe difficulties during its ocean crossing, leading to significant delays.

  • Deviation from the Original Destination:

    • The group held an original grant for land surrounding the mouth of the Hudson River.
    • Due to severe weather, dangerous ocean seas, and the late season, the crew avoided attempting to navigate southward around Cape Cod to reach the original Hudson River grant site.
    • Instead, the settlers remained near the shore of present-day Massachusetts.

Geography of Plymouth Colony (1620–1691)

  • First Landing:

    • The initial landing of the Mayflower took place at Cape Cod in 1620.

  • Permanent Settlement:

    • The settlers established the Plymouth Colony, which existed as an independent entity from 1620 to 1691.

  • Regional Geographic Features:

    • Bodies of Water: Cape Cod Bay, Atlantic Ocean, Buzzards Bay, Nantucket Sound.
    • Landmasses and Islands: Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket Island.
    • Bordering Regions: Present-day state borders of Massachusetts and Rhode Island.