The First Colonies

The First Colonies

Chapter 5- Lesson 3King Henry the Eighth and the Church of EnglandIn the early 1500s King Henry of England broke away from the catholic church. He then created a new church, the Church of England. EVERYONE in England had to belong to this church. However, some people grew tired of this new church because they felt it was very similar to the problems of the catholic church. One group that separated from the Church of England was known as the SEPARATISTS. By pulling away from the kings church this group was often persecuted for their beliefs.

PersecutionPersecution is the unjust treatment because of their beliefs. Separatists were persecuted because they did not agree completely with the Church of England.

William BradfordLeader of the Separatists.Went to the Virginia Company and asked for permission to start a new settlement of their own.He had hoped that it would allow them to worship freely but still follow the rules set forth by the general government.

The MayflowerThe Virginia Company agreed and the pilgrims began preparing for their journey.In September 1620, about 100 pilgrims crowded into a small ship called the Mayflower. The conditions were rough and the journey was difficult.

The Mayflower

The Pilgrims JourneyOn July 22, 1620, the Pilgrims boarded the ship Speedwell in Delfthaven, Holland, and said their tearful good-byes to their friends and church-members whom they were leaving behind. In fact, they were leaving the majority of their church congregation behind--even their pastor, John Robinson, was not coming with them. But the intent was to send these first few men and women to establish the colony: then the rest of the church would be able to come over later. Pastor Robinson preached a sermon on Ezra 8:21. As the time to depart arrived, Pastor Robinson fell to his knees and "with watery cheeks commended them with most fervent prayers."

The Pilgrims JourneyThe Pilgrims sailed on the Speedwell from Delfthaven, Holland to Southampton, England, where they met up with the Mayflower that had just come down from London. The Mayflower had a number of other passengers from England that the Pilgrims did not really know yet--they were friends or investors that had become interested in the voyage while the Pilgrims were trying to raise enough money to undertake the trip. In Southampton, the ships were loaded with food and supplies for the voyage: but the Pilgrims were so short of money they had to sell off most of their oil and butter before they could leave. The Mayflower and Speedwell departed for America on August 5 from Southampton, but after just a short time sailing through the English Channel they were forced into Dartmouth because the Speedwell was leaking. They were delayed several weeks, but finally headed off to America from Dartmouth on August 24. They Mayflower and Speedwell cleared the English channel, and were nearly 300 miles into the Atlantic when word came that the Speedwell was again leaking, and would have to turn back. The two ships returned to Plymouth, England, where it was decided that the Speedwell was not capable of making the voyage. About 20 passengers, most quite frustrated with the voyage and very happy for an excuse to quit, were sent home to England and Holland. The remaining passengers and cargo were transferred from the Speedwell over to the Mayflower

The Pilgrims JourneyFinally, after a month of delays and problems, the Mayflower put to sea again, leaving Plymouth, England on September 6, 1620, with 102 passengers (three of which were pregnant women), and a crew of about 30. For the first half of the voyage, the Mayflower had good winds and weather. The of the passengers were troubled by sea-sickness, but they would get used to it. A young boy, Oceanus, was born to Stephen and Elizabeth Hopkins

The Pilgrims JourneyOne of the sailors on the voyage was remembered as having been very vulgar and rude. He used to laugh at the passengers sea-sickness, and told everyone he hoped to throw half of them overboard after they had died, and then take all their possessions for himself. He cursed and swore terribly. In the end, though, he ended up being the first to get sick, and soon died of a very painful disease, and was in fact the first person thrown overboard. The Pilgrims saw the hand of God in his death, as Bradford wrote "Thus his curses light on his own head, and it was an astonishment to all his fellows for they noted it to be the just hand of God upon him."

The Pilgrims JourneyUnfortunately for the passengers, the smooth sailing came to an end about half-way across the ocean. The Mayflower was hit with many strong storms and cross-winds, and the ship was so badly shaken that she became very leaky, with water dripping and falling down upon the passengers that were living between the decks. The storms were often bad enough that the Mayflower's crew had to take down the sails, and just let the storm blow the ship wherever it wanted. During one of these bad storms, one of the main beams of the ship bowed and cracked, causing some of the crewmembers and passengers to fear the ship would not be able to continue the voyage. After consulting with the master, Christopher Jones, it was decided the ship was sturdy, and had a good history of surviving such storms, so a great iron screw was used to raise the main beam back into place.

The Pilgrims JourneyDuring another storm, passenger John Howland happened to come above deck, and was swept off the ship into the ocean. He just managed to grab a hold of the topsail halyards, and held on long enough for the Mayflower's crew to rescue him with a boathook. William Bradford noted, "though he was something ill with it, yet he lived many years after and became a profitable member both of church and commonwealth". Howland is an ancestor to many people, including Presidents Franklin Roosevelt and George Bush, actor Humphrey Bogart, and founder of the Mormons Joseph Smith.

The Pilgrims JourneyFinally, the passengers and crew began to sense they were getting close to land. Three days out, a young boy, William Button, who came on the Mayflower in the custody of doctor Samuel Fuller, died. He was the first passenger to die, and the only passenger to die while the ship was at sea. On the morning of November 9, after more than two months at sea (not to mention a month of delays on board the ships back in England), they spotted land, which they later found to be Cape Cod. After 2750 miles, traveling at an average speed of just under 2 mph, the voyage was nearly over.

The Mayflower Finds Land

Another Video for You

Mayflower CompactBefore departing the ship for shore the Pilgrims made a written plan of government called the Mayflower Compact. All adult males aboard the Mayflower were asked to sign the compact.

The start of Plymouth ColonyThe Pilgrims set foot on solid land in November of 1620. It was not the best time of year to start a colony (think what its like outside in November )The Pilgrims faced starvation and disease.

Plymouth ColonyIn the first three months at Plymouth, nearly half of the settlers died.During the first Spring, a native named Samoset walked into the colony and called out Welcome Englishmen

Plymouth Colony meets SquantoSamoset introduced the Pilgrims to another important ally named Squanto.

Squanto helped the Pilgrims create a treaty of peace with the Wampanoag tribe.

Squanto moves to Plymouth Colony

Squanto and the PilgrimsSquanto also taught the Pilgrims where the best hunting spots were, as well as the best fishing spots.Squanto is also responsible for teaching the Pilgrims how to grow corn in the rocky New England soil.

The First ThanksgivingThanks to Squantos efforts..the Pilgrims survived and that fall they gathered their first harvest.

The Pilgrims decided to hold a great celebration and invited the Wampanoag to join them as a gesture of gratitude.

The Puritans ArriveIn 1630, another group sailed for England to North America.The Puritans also came to the New World seeking religious freedom.Puritans wanted to purify the Church of England ( purify in this case means change the parts they didnt agree with).The Puritans also faced persecution in England.The Puritans ArriveThe Puritans were led by a lawyer named John Winthrop.

Winthrop believed that they should be their own colony and live as examples to everyone else.

Mass Bay ColonyDue to better planning and not making mistakes of earlier colonistthis colony never faced a time of starvation.The location of this colony is known today as BOSTON.The mass bay colony grew rapidly due to the colonies thriving economy.TradeFishingFur TradingShipbuilding

The Puritan Way of LifeIn Puritan towns, each family had there own land to build a farm and home.At the center of the town was a meeting house/church/school.Puritans built the first public school in the English colonies.