Did the Pilgrims Really Come to America for Religious Freedom?

Did Pilgrims Really Come to America for Religious Freedom? If not, why did they come? What was life like once they got to the Americas? In this episode, we discuss the history of the Pilgrims and some bonus Pilgrim trivia!!

Sources

Transcript

Tzeela: Hi I'm Tzeela and I'm 17

Rina: Hi I'm Rina and I'm 14

Dalia: Hey, I'm Dalia and I'm 11

All: And this is Things You Thought You Knew About History!

Tzeela: Where we tell you the real story behind historical misconceptions.

Rina: Many years ago the Pilgrims came to [what is now] the United States for religious freedom

Tzeela: Umm excuse me that’s not really true

Rina: What do you mean it’s not true?

Tzeela: I mean it’s false

Rina: But in school we learned that the Pilgrims boarded the Mayflower and came to America because they couldn’t worship freely in England

Tzeela: Yeah but that wasn’t really the full reason

Rina: So what really happened?

Tzeela: Well the Pilgrims had already left England and were living in the Dutch Republic, what is today the Netherlands

Dalia: The Dutch Republic had religious tolerance

Tzeela: It was a largely Calvinist country however unlike many other places it allowed many religions, excluding Catholics, freedom to practice openly

Dalia: The Pilgrims were part of a Puritan group known as separatists so they were able to practice in the Dutch Republic

Rina: So why did they leave the Dutch Republic?

Dalia: Many of the Pilgrims chose to come to America for economic reasons

Rina: The Pilgrims had been farmers in England, but in the Netherlands, they were poor and had to work very long hours

Dalia: They worked in hard, labor-intensive jobs in the textile industry

Rina: These economic hardships also made it so other Separatists didn’t want to come join them and would rather risk staying in England

Dalia: What were the other reasons they left?

Rina: At this time a treaty between Spain and the Dutch republic was coming to an end making war likely

Dalia: If Spain won they would no longer have the religious freedom they desired

Tzeela: They also thought that their culture and surroundings in the Dutch Republican negatively influenced their children

Dalia: Additionally, they hoped that they might be able to spread Christianity to the natives in America

Rina: In 1620 the Pilgrims left and headed to the Americas

Dalia: What happened to the Pilgrims once they got to the Americas?

Rina: On Nov. 20, 1620, the Pilgrim’s ship the Mayflower reached what’s now Provincetown Harbor, Massechusetts. After looking around they chose to set up their colony in Plymouth.

Dalia: While on the Mayflower, they signed the Mayflower Compact, their agreement to form a government with fair rules, and elected John Carver as governor.

Tzeela: The first year was extremely difficult. The pilgrims worked hard but still lacked food and constantly became sick. That winter only around half the colony survived.

Rina: In the Spring, Native Americans Samoset and Squanto befriended the colonies, and brought them to the nearby chief of the Wampanoag tribe.

Dalia: They exchanged gifts and made a peace treaty, and the Pilgrims were taught how to grow food. They celebrated that harvest with a feast that later inspired Thanksgiving. Soon after, in April 1621, Governor Carver died and William Bradford took his place.

Rina: Bradford got rights to more land near the colony and turned it over to the freemen of the colony. The colony began to expand.

Tzeela: These freemen were voters that signed the Mayflower Compact and any who was later chosen to join and they met once a year to discuss problems in the colony. The General Court made up of the elected governor and his assistants did the law-making and tax collecting.

Rina: Originally, the Pilgrims and the financers of their voyage had an agreement to combine the results of their work into a fund that would supply their needs, and then at the end of seven years the profit would be divided amongst the financers and pilgrims. This didn’t work out though and soon the colony allowed for people to own their own property.

Dalia: The Pilgrims tried to make money by fishing, but it was unsuccessful. They switched to fur trading, and when the Massachusetts Bay Colony was established in 1628 they set up a successful corn and cattle trade with them.

Tzeela: The Plymouth Colony grew and changed, and in 1675 the peace between the Native Americans and Pilgrims ended resulting in a terribly bloody war in New England. In 1691, Plymouth Colony became a part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. The end!

Dalia: And now for some trivia!

Rina: Here’s how it will work, we will ask you a question then count down from ten to give you time to answer. If you need more time feel free to pause

Dalia: Let’s see how well you know your Pilgrim facts!!

Rina: How many many passengers were on the Mayflower?

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3...2... 1

102 passengers.

Dalia: How many men and how many women?

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3...2... 1

74 men and 28 women

Rina: What were the Pilgrims called before they were called Pilgrims?

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3...2... 1

Old Comers, then Forefathers

Dalia: How long did the Pilgrim’s journey across the ocean take?

10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3...2... 1

66 days

Rina: Thanks for listening!!!

Dalia: Hope you enjoyed!!!

BYE