Pilgrim fathers are a group of English colonists who came to America in search of the New World.Around 100 people set on this journey in September 1620, on the Mayflower, and reached the banks of North America by November. These settlers of New England are called Pilgrim Fathers or Pilgrims, and their habitat is known as the Plymouth Colony.After long journeys through the Atlantic, the Mayflower had caught sight of Cape Cod but decided against it and landed at Plymouth Harbor. The English settlers, in their newfound established colony, found it strenuous to survive. More than half of the pilgrims died in the first winter due to harsh weather conditions and inadequate shelters, that they had built for themselves. Gradually, with the help of some Native Americans, these settlers learned to build sustainable homes and grow their own crops. With a firm base in the new land, more people started migrating to colonial America which in turn helped the English gain the upper hand on the natives.As it is typical to colonies, they started an imposition of norms on natives. After the Plymouth Colony, the English invoked the Mayflower Compact; a historic charter that unveiled a divinely sanctioned self-rule, civil, and political rights that the Pilgrims devoutly believed in. The charter also promised thorough participation and obedience to equal laws, which was thoroughly praised by later critics and historians as a remarkable capability to self-govern in Englishmen even during those dire times. The Pilgrims maintained a harmonic relationship with the Native Americans even though they disagreed in many ways. The iconic voyage for unadulterated Christianity, the Pilgrims’ ability to strike an interracial balance, and the power to overcome severe environmental difficulties all culminate in imparting the national identity that the United States vouch for.The history of England is definite documentation of how many Puritans brought about the classical ways of the church with the exoneration of monarchy and the intervention of Sir Oliver Cromwell. In later years these Puritans, much like the Separatists, left for New England in search of a refined place for God. What is important to note is the decision of rebellion of what both these groups deemed right. The Puritans had faith in the slightest chance of reformation and had remained in England for their beliefs. While the Separatists believed in religious freedom and the establishment of their novel ideologies in a different land. These people are commonly referred to as Pilgrim fathers or Pilgrims for a significant purpose. They left England in search of a new world so they could find and practice the truest form of religion. Sir William Bradford had also referred to these colonists as Pilgrims who left their homeland while lifting their, ‘Eyes to the heavens’.History of The Pilgrim FathersStaying in England would mean an unwilling submission to the national church that the Pilgrims did not believe in. The Pilgrims left England on the Mayflower in search of the New World and reached the Netherlands, then America. They felt threatened in the Netherlands and had to abandon that place to move to another area, America.The 17th century England accommodated the definitive Church of England as the official church, under the authoritarian figure of King Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The Church of England was in many ways similar to the Roman Catholic Church even after a distinctive change in its structure. This divided the people of England into two strata, one group thought it was more feasible to return to the Roman ways of things with much simpler practices and religious conduct. This group was labeled Puritans, due to their desire to purify the church. On the other hand, a group known as separatists demanded a separate church with a completely different set of rules and rituals from the Church of England. It was out of the question for the existence of any other church apart from the Anglican Church. This radical faction of the masses, Separatists decided to leave England in search of a new land where their views would be taken into consideration.Plymouth Colony of New England is a direct reference to the Separatist segregation in Scrooby, a town in Nottinghamshire, England. The Separatists here were brutally tortured and sent to jail for their attempts to break away from the Church of England. Important names like William Bradford and William Brewster were also a part of the regime. When they were unable to bear the harassment anymore, the union decided to move away from England.Contrary to popular notions, the Pilgrim Fathers did not directly arrive in North America. The Pilgrims’ trip aboard first took them to Holland, Netherlands, which was then considered as a place of religious freedom. Even though the land offered individual religious rights, the newly fled English people found it difficult to deal with the experience and later decided to leave the country altogether. As one commonly suffers while in a foreign place, the English were also under the captivity of rootlessness. They first held their settlement in Amsterdam, followed by Leiden. In Leiden the English runaways spent around 11-12 years, severely toiling for their livelihood. The conditions were so dire that even children partook in labor. The English decided to move again fearing primarily three circumstances; King James I had pledged to conform the Separatists to the Church of England by exercising his monarchical power; secondly, the Pilgrims felt the loss of identity and culture of being inherently English starting to fade away for the youth had started to engage with the military; thirdly, the fear of a raging war between the Dutch and Spanish was almost an immediate cause. The Spanish had signed a 12-year peace treaty with Holland’s United Provinces which was to come to an end after the Mayflower had sailed.The Pilgrims had left England, and now the Netherlands, in search of the Hudson River which is located in present-day New York City. Voyaging through the Atlantic, the Pilgrims arrived at Cape Cod bay and affirmed on searching for a suitable place to live. They found Plymouth Harbor and started building their own town.Voyage: Pilgrim FathersThe Pilgrims escaped England to inhabit the Netherlands for 12 years. However, several causes urged them to leave the place and sail for America. The voyage was difficult but the Pilgrims found their way to Plymouth by journeying for 66 days on the water.Voyaging from England was not as difficult, compared to the trip from the Netherlands. Having gained experience of what the scenario of settling in a new land seemed like, the Pilgrims were rightly moved and almost terrorized by the fear of losing everything. Also, the bold claims of King James I was a call to action for them to relocate.The journey to the New World was actually on two ships, the Speedwell and the Mayflower. While the Mayflower is the more popular name among the two, the contributions of Speedwell were also relevant. Speedwell had unfortunately leaked on its two trips to England, resulting in the dispersal of many family members and even causing a significant decrease in the lack of space.Mayflower sailed and was supposed to reach Jamestown Colony of Virginia, by taking a straight route in crossing the Atlantic and reach Virginia Patent. English colonies, like that of Virginia, were thriving due to the steady cultivation of commercial crops like tobacco. But the failure of Speedwell had delayed the original plan, making the Mayflower sail through rough waters and stormy conditions.Captain John Smith was vehemently rejected by the Pilgrims. Smith was among the core colonists of Jamestown and a capable leader. Owing to some of his injuries, Smith had to return to England. He is an important figure in terms of mapping routes and even behind naming a few places. However, when the Pilgrims approached Smith, they found his character to be dominating and his service charges too expensive for voyagers. Myles Standish, who had no idea about the routes to America was appointed in Smith’s place. This resulted in a ship full of metaphorically blind passengers with only Stephen Hopkins having the faintest idea of the route.102 passengers set sail on the Mayflower. However, not all passengers were Pilgrims. The investors of the ship were in no way interested in the holy cause of the Pilgrims, but aiding them would mean booking huge profits. They hired a few men, popularly identified as,’ Strangers’ by the Pilgrims who went aboard only to securely return the profits to investors. These strangers, some popular names including Stephen Hopkins, Myles Standish, and Richard Warren, were of Anglican faith but they also reached the Plymouth Colony along with the Pilgrims.The Pilgrims had left behind their pastor, John Robinson, who actively participated in the arrangements of the Mayflower ship, negotiations, and other preparations. The pastor wanted to accompany the Pilgrims on their voyage but was voted to be left behind. He died in the Netherlands from a plague before he could visit New England.The Pilgrim Fathers’ PhilosophyThe Pilgrim Fathers were people of great values and advanced thinking. They introduced policies and agricultural practices that ushered in growth and benefits to both the colonists and the natives. The Compact was an equally liberal and advanced document of free-thinking, self-governance, and advanced democratic ideologies.History books recognize the founders of the Plymouth Colony in a great light. They are not only legible for introducing Thanksgiving, a national holiday that celebrates a harvest feast, but also introducing principles The Pilgrims largely differed from the Puritans by their ideals. For instance, they did not engage in brutal battles or persecute dissenters. The Plymouth settlement also proved itself to be the most liberal and religiously tolerant group in the New World.The native inhabitants of the area around Plymouth Colony were the various tribes of Wampanoag people, who had lived there for nearly 10,000 years prior to the arrival of Europeans. Soon after the Pilgrims built their settlement, they came into contact with Tisquantum, or Squanto, an English-speaking Native American. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn, which later became an essential crop, In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims shared a harvest feast with natives; the meal is now known as the foundation of the first Thanksgiving holiday.The community set an example of the balanced machinations of faith, industry, democratic ideals, and conscientiousness. The Pilgrims set high values in terms of governance and values for a new settlement that the world has much appreciated even after centuries of their being.The Pilgrims derived their radical views from, ‘The Bible’. Their pastor, John Robinson, found deep biblical conventions to be enriching and differed from the mass view of the national church.The Mayflower Compact was a written testament of what the Pilgrims had in mind. To establish their secured inhabitance amongst the Native Americans, the Pilgrims would be required to maintain peaceful relations with them. The Mayflower Compact was signed by 21 men onboarding Mayflower as the only piece of legal document that will hold true for the community. The document was the first piece of information regarding self-government in the New World. The Compact was valid until 1691, with the Plymouth Colony and Massachusetts Bay Colony merger.The document was indeed influential, widely popular as the first attempt of attaining democracy. This piece played an important role amongst future colonists who sought permanent independence from the British colonial powers. It is also said to have influenced the state constitutions, the Declaration of Independence, and even the United States constitution, thereby shaping America in every stratum.William Bradford’s PastWilliam Bradford shaped colonists’ journey in the initial, emerging years. He maintained friendly relations with the native Wampanoag people. His journals tell the stories of the Pilgrim Fathers who voyaged and flourished through all adversities. His governing methods led the Pilgrims to a thriving land and living conditions where they could live the life they had envisioned.Growing up as an orphan with feeble physical strength, Bradford was a child fed with the pages of the Bible and several other religious texts. Naturally, his inclinations with religion led him into the Separatists and under the leadership of William Brewster and John Robinson. He was refined and molded to a simple and pious life of crude Christianity and advocated the same during his power.Bradford also voyaged from the Netherlands to America under the guidance of Brewster. He along with his wife had joined the Separatists on Speedwell, but as the ship began to break down, they managed to shift to Mayflower and started on a 66 days journey to The New World.Bradford was one of the 41 men who signed the Compact in Cape Cod Bay asserting his role in the formation of a new community for the Pilgrims. He also took an active part in expeditions to explore different regions and find a suitable place for the Pilgrims.When John Carver suffered and died, along with the many fellow colonists during the first winter in America, William Bradford succeeded him. He successfully maintained harmonic relations with the later Dutch settlers, Puritans, and the Massachusetts Bay Colony. He was repeatedly elected by masses to be their guide and governor of Plymouth until he died in 1656.
Pilgrim fathers are a group of English colonists who came to America in search of the New World.
