2. Would you have liked to travel on a
small ship with more than 100 other
people, all of their belongings, and
possibly some farm animals – for 66
days? That’s what the Pilgrims did in
the year 1620, on a ship
called Mayflower.
3.
4. 1. Mayflower set sail from England in July 1620, but it had to turn back twice
because Speedwell, the ship it was traveling with, leaked. After deciding to
leave the leaky Speedwell behind, Mayflower finally got underway on
September 6, 1620.
In the 1600s, the ocean was full of dangers. Ships could be attacked and
taken over by pirates. Many ships in the 1600s were damaged or
shipwrecked by storms. Passengers sometimes fell overboard and
drowned or got sick and died.
The Journey
5. 1. Although Mayflower did not sink, a few of these things actually did
happen! Mayflower wasn't taken over by pirates -- the ship sailed on a
northern path across the Atlantic to avoid them -- but she was damaged by
a bad storm halfway to America. The storm cracked one of the massive
wooden beams supporting the frame of the ship. Fortunately, the
passengers had brought along a “great iron screw,” which helped raise the
beam back into place so the ship could continue. In another storm, a young
passenger, John Howland, was swept off the deck of the ship and into the
ocean! He was saved because he grabbed onto one of the ship’s ropes (or
lines) and was pulled back onto the deck.
2. Although many people were seasick on the voyage across the Atlantic
Ocean, only one person died. He was a sailor who had been very mean to
the passengers and taunted them about their seasickness. The colonists
believed he died because God was punishing him for being cruel.
6. 1. One baby was born during the journey. Elizabeth Hopkins gave birth to her
first son, appropriately named Oceanus, on Mayflower. Another baby boy,
Peregrine White, was born to Susanna White after Mayflower arrived in
New England.
2. After more than two months (66 days) at sea, the Pilgrims finally arrived at
Cape Cod on November 11, 1620. A few weeks later, they sailed up the
coast to Plymouth and started to build their town where a group of
Wampanoag People had lived before (a sickness had killed most of them).
The Pilgrims lived on the ship for a few more months, rowing ashore to
build houses during the day, and returning to the ship at night. Many people
began to get sick from the cold and the wet; after all, it was December!
About half the people on Mayflower died that first winter from what they
described as a “general sickness” of colds, coughs and fevers.
3. Finally, in March 1621, there were enough houses that everyone could live
on land. After a long, hard voyage, and an even harder
winter, Mayflower left Plymouth to return to England on April 5, 1621.
8. 1. The 1620 agreement (first called the Mayflower Compact in 1793) was a
legal instrument that bound the Pilgrims together when they arrived in New
England. The core members of the Pilgrims' immigrant group were
Separatists, members of a Puritan sect that had split from the Church of
England, the only legal church in England at that time. Others in the group,
however, had remained part of the Church of England, so not all of the
Pilgrims shared the same religion.
2. When the Pilgrims left England, they obtained permission from the King of
England to settle on land farther to the south near the mouth of the Hudson
River (in present-day New York). Because they chose to remain where
they landed in New England, they needed a new permission (called a
patent) to settle there. On November 11, 1620, needing to maintain order
and establish a civil society while they waited for this new patent, the adult
male passengers signed the Mayflower Compact.
9. 1. The original document does not survive. It first appeared
in Mourt’s Relation, a pamphlet about the first year of settlement at
Plimoth. In 1669 Plymouth’s town historian, Nathaniel Morton,
reprinted the agreement in his book, New England’s Memorial.
Interestingly, he included a possible list of the men who signed it,
even though these men’s names were not included in earlier
copies of the Mayflower Compact. According to Morton, the
document was signed by 41 of the male passengers – all but one
of the freemen, three of the five hired men, and two of the nine
servants
10. 1. Mayflower arrived in New England on November 11, 1620 after a voyage
of 66 days. Although the Pilgrims had originally intended to settle near
the Hudson River in New York, dangerous shoals and poor winds forced
the ship to seek shelter at Cape Cod. Because it was so late in the year
and travel around Cape Cod was proving difficult, the passengers
decided not to sail further and to remain in New England. It was here, in
Cape Cod Bay, that most of the adult men on the ship signed the
document that we know as the Mayflower Compact. It laid the foundation
for the community’s government.
2. A party of the most able men began exploring the area to find a suitable
place to settle. After several weeks, the exploring party arrived at what
appeared to be an abandoned Wampanoag community. The plentiful
water supply, good harbor, cleared fields, and location on a hill made the
area a favorable place for settlement.
Arrival at Plymouth
11. 1. Although they occasionally caught glimpses of Native People, it
wasn’t until four months after their arrival that the colonists met
and communicated with them. In March 1621, they made a treaty
of mutual protection with the Pokanoket Wampanoag leader,
Ousamequin (also known as Massasoit to the Pilgrims). The treaty
had six points. Neither party would harm the other. If anything was
stolen, it would be returned, and the offending person returned to
his own people for punishment. Both sides agreed to leave their
weapons behind when meeting, and the two groups would serve
as allies in times of war. Squanto, a Wampanoag man who had
been taken captive by English sailors and lived for a time in
London, came to live with the colonists and instructed them in
growing Indian corn.
Building a Town & Relationships with Native People
12. 1. In the fall of 1621, the colonists marked their first harvest
with a three-day celebration. Massasoit and 90 of his men
joined the English for feasting and entertainment. In the
1800s this famous celebration became the basis for the
story of the First Thanksgiving.
2. Over the next six years, more English colonists arrived and
many of the people who had to stay behind in England or
Holland when Mayflower left England were able to join their
families. By 1627, Plymouth Colony was stable and
comfortable. Harvests were good and families were
growing. In 1627, about 160 people lived in Plymouth
Colony.
13. 1. The Wampanoag are one of many Nations of people all over North
America who were here long before any Europeans arrived, and
have survived until today. Many people use the word “Indian” to
describe us, but we prefer to be called Native People.
2. Our name, Wampanoag, means People of the First Light. In the
1600s, we had as many as 40,000 people in the 67 villages that
made up the Wampanoag Nation. These villages covered the
territory along the east coast as far as Wessagusset (today called
Weymouth), all of what is now Cape Cod and the islands of
Natocket and Noepe (now called Nantucket and Martha's
Vineyard), and southeast as far as Pokanocket (now Bristol and
Warren, Rhode Island). We have been living on this part of Turtle
Island for over fifteen thousand years.
Who are the Wampanoag?
14. 1. The Wampanoag, like many other Native People, often
refer to the earth as Turtle Island.
Today, about 4,000-5,000 Wampanoag live in New
England. There are three primary groups – Mashpee,
Aquinnah, and Manomet – with several other groups
forming again as well. Recently, we also found some of our
relations in the Caribbean islands. These people are
descendants of Native Wampanoag People who were sent
into slavery after a war between the Wampanoag and
English. We, as the People, still continue our way of life
through our oral traditions (the telling of our family and
Nation's history), ceremonies, the Wampanoag language,
song and dance, social gatherings, hunting and fishing.
15. 1. The Wampanoag Homeland provided bountiful food for
fulfillment of all our needs. It was up to the People to keep
the balance and respect for all living beings and to receive
all the gifts from The Creator. We were seasonal people
living in the forest and valleys during winter. During the
summer, spring, and fall, we moved to the rivers, ponds,
and ocean to plant crops, fish and gather foods from the
forests.
Because of many changes in North America, we as the
Wampanoag cannot live as our ancestors did. We adapt but
still continue to live in the way of the People of the First
Light.
