Thanksgiving Who Were the Pilgrims?

Church of EnglandPuritans

SeparatistsNetherlands

America

Church of England

• Gregory the Great chose Augustine to lead a mission trip to Britain in 595AD

• Augustine of Canterbury is the founder of the English Church in 597AD

• Considered a part of the Western Church

Church of England

Church of England

• Initially the Church went with Rome in 1517

• In 1534 they separated from Rome over the divorce of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon

Church of England

• Queen Mary I returned the Church of England to Roman Catholicism in 1555

• Known as Bloody Mary because she enjoyed killing Protestants

Church of England

• Just 3 years later, in 1558, the Church of England officially became Protestant leaving Rome under Queen Elizabeth.

Church of England

• 1559 Act of Uniformity– Catholic– Reformed– Illegal not to attend

official services ($20/week)

Puritans

• Started as an activist movement inside the Church of England.

• Puritan is derogatory meaning “sticklers”

• Mainly sought greater purity & doctrine within the Church of England

Puritans

• Most were strong Calvinists.

• British laws made it hard for Puritans to do much inside the church

• Many moved to the Netherlands

Puritans

• Only 21,000 Puritans eventually moved to America…they had many kids and didn’t die easily.

• By 1790 there were 700,000 American born Puritans

• Influential in society (started Harvard)

Pilgrims

• Pilgrims weren’t Puritans• They were Separatists• Led by Robert Browne• Known as Browne

Separatists, not Pilgrims

Pilgrims

• Believed their differences with the Church of England were irreconcilable and worship should be locally governed.

Pilgrims

• In 1593 two pastors were executed for sedition.

• John Bunyan would endure Separatist consequences.

Pilgrims

• In 1604 it was hoped King James would make it easier on reformists…but he rejected all their requests except a new English Translation.

Pilgrims

• In 1604 it was hoped King James would make it easier on reformists…but he rejected all their requests except a new English Translation.

Pilgrims

“But after these things they could not long continue in any peaceable condition, but were hunted & persecuted on every side, so as their former afflictions were but as flea-bitings in comparison of these which now came upon them. For some were taken & clapt up in prison, others had… [to] leave their howses & habitations, and the means of their livelehood.”

- William Bradford

Pilgrims

• William Bradford and other Brownist Separatists moved to the Netherlands.

• The work was hard but they made a life…almost too good of a life.

Pilgrims

• William Bradford and other Brownist Separatists moved to the Netherlands.

• The work was hard but they made a life…almost too good of a life.

Pilgrims

• Decided to go to America supported by venture capitalists wanting them to make fortunes through fishing.

Pilgrims

Thanksgiving Pilgrims in America

Christopher Columbus

• 1492 the Niña, Pinta and Santa Maria “discover” America.

• Initiated European exploration and colonization

Virginia Company of London

• In 1607 Jamestown was settled late in the year in a swampy area plagued by mosquitoes.

• Many of the group weren’t accustomed to hard work.

Virginia Company of London

• Between 1609-1610 only 61 of the initial 500 Jamestown colonists had survived.

Pilgrim Journey

• On September 6th, 1620 the Speedwell and the Mayflower left for America.

• The Pilgrims purchased the Speedwell…the Mayflower was rented by the investors.

Pilgrim Journey

• The Speedwell repeatedly leaked and the group had to turn back twice.

• They eventually left the Speedwell…a month later the Mayflower departed alone for the NYC area.

Pilgrim Journey

• 66 days later they spotted land.

• Poor winds and being late in the year forced them to rethink the destination.

Plymouth Harbor

• Chosen for plentiful water supply, good harbor, cleared fields, location on a hill.

Plymouth Harbor

Plymouth Harbor

Appeared to be an abandoned Wampanoag community.

Pilgrims in Plymouth

• Mayflower Compact is signed at this time where the colonists agree to live in submission and obedience to each other through democratic voting.

Pilgrims in Plymouth

• Mayflower Compact has been called the world’s first written constitution.

Pilgrims in Plymouth

• Although the Pilgrims weren’t starving their mostly sea-diet was very high in salt weakening their bodies.

Pilgrims in Plymouth

• Half the people died in the first year (1620-1621)

Pilgrims in Plymouth

• The Pilgrims first met with Native Americans 4 months after arriving.

• They formed a treaty with six points to live peaceably together.

• Squanto came to live with the colonists.

Squanto

• Squanto was probably 35 years old in 1620

• He had been abducted twice and crossed the Atlantic 4 times.

• In 1614 a man tried to sell Squanto in Spain for £20

Squanto

• Squanto was bought by a well-meaning Spanish monk, who treated him well and taught him the Christian faith.

• After being away from Plymouth for 10 years he convinced his owner to let him sail back in 1619

Squanto

• A small-pox epidemic had wiped out his entire village while he was gone.

• On March 22nd, 1621 Squanto was introduced to the Pilgrims who were living near his former village.

Squanto

• Pilgrim governor William Bradford writes, “Squanto became a special instrument sent of God for [our] good . . . He showed [us] how to plant [our] corn, where to take fish and to procure other commodities . . . and was also [our] pilot to bring [us] to unknown places for [our] profit, and never left [us] till he died.”

Thanksgiving

• The Pilgrims celebrated for three days after their first harvest in the fall of 1621.

• 90 Native Americans and 52 colonists.

Thanksgiving Accounts

They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty. For as some were thus employed in affairs abroad, others were exercised in fishing, about cod and bass and other fish, of which they took good store, of which every family had their portion. All the summer there was no want; and now began to come in store of fowl, as winter approached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees)…

Thanksgiving Accounts

…And besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc. Besides, they had about a peck a meal a week to a person, or now since harvest, Indian corn to the proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largely of their plenty here to their friends in England, which were not feigned but true reports.

- William Bradford

Thanksgiving Accounts

Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruits of our labor. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us…

Thanksgiving Accounts

…and among the rest their greatest king Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which we brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.

- Edward Winslow

Thanksgiving Pilgrims in America