Mayflower -- Question 1

The Pilgrims from England, or Holland, left Europe for one main reason; religious freedom. Back in England it was either, worship the religion the king chooses, or face punishment. The Pilgrims followed a very strict form of Puritan religion, Separatists. In attempt to freely worship their own religion, the Pilgrims ran to Holland. It wasn't long, though, before their troubles caught up with them, and they were being sought after in Holland. They made a very important decision, to start a settlement in the New world, or, America. The Pilgrims had very strong religious ties and beliefs that kept them strong through the long voyage to the New World. Everything the Pilgrims did they did for God. In times of disease, hardship, and starvation, they prayed. In times of good fortune and joy, they prayed. The pilgrims strong spiritual attitude was believed to help them make it to the New World. The Pilgrims also had strong morals. These morals helped the pilgrims with dealing Native Americans. The Pilgrims' morals enabled them to cooperate with the Natives when first entering the island. The Pilgrims knew the natives were people, so as people they treated them as people. This original sign of respect allowed them to set up strong alliances and ties with the Natives. Even though the Pilgrims raided the Natives corn stock and graves, they re payed they felt bad about them and later re payed their debts to the Natives. The Pilgrims' strong morals and spiritual attitude also kept them together as a community, using each other to get through the starving, cold winters, and the hot summers. While their religious life kept them together as a community in the beginning of the settlement, it soon began to draw them a part, and create great tension between them. When more settlers arrived, most of them not of the same religion as the original Pilgrims, the differences in views began to make them argue with each other, choose sides, and begin to separate them. Their strong morals helped them establish ties with the Natives, but it also began to put them in debt. When their deal with the Adventurists went a skew, the Pilgrims were furious. The Adventurers showed up asking the Pilgrims to pay their dues, and house and entertain their men. The Pilgrims felt that they could not leave the men out at sea. So, with already scarce space and depleting rations, the Pilgrims housed some sixty men for the Adventurers. The Pilgrims faced more than I could hardly imagine going through in their quest to build a religiously tolerant settlement. The fact that they succeeded after all they went through makes their story a remarkable one. I tip my hat to the Pilgrims, I could have never accomplished what they did.

--Allison