The First English Settlements in America

3.H.2 Use historical thinking skills to understand the context of events, people and places.

The Pilgrims Voyage to Freedom

3.H.2 Use historical thinking skills to understand the context of events, people and places.

1. The Need for Freedom Above all, the Pilgrims wanted to be free.

They disagreed with the religious teachings of the Churchof England. In fact, the Pilgrims were members of a groupof people called Separatists. These people had different beliefs than the rest of the English people. In 1606, they formed their own church in a small village called Scrooby.

At this time, the Church of England was the same as theGovernment of England. Inother words, King James I was the head of both the country and the church. Not belonging to the church meant not obeying the king. This was treason.

So the Pilgrims left England, in search of a safe place to practice their religion. They chose to go to Holland and found a home in Leyden. For 12 years, they worshipped under their pastor, John Robinson.

But the Pilgrims were also poor. Many of them were forced to

work difficult jobs all day long, for little money. They had

found religious peace in Holland, but they were making

barely enough money to survive.

What to do?

They finally decided to sail to North America. They didn't want to join the Jamestown colony, founded in 1607, because theyfeared that the English people there would treat them badlybecause of their religious beliefs. So the Pilgrims settled onthe northern part of the Virginia Territory, at the mouth of the Hudson River (near what is now New York).

Happily, the Pilgrims found businesspeople who were willing to give them money in exchange for a share of the profits made in America. The Pilgrims bought a small shipcalled the Speedwell and sailed back to England. They stayed long enough to get more colonists and a larger ship,the Mayflower.

They set sail from Southampton on August 5, 1620.

The Speedwell wasn't in shape to make the journey, and the Pilgrims returned to Plymouth, England. They crowdedall 102 people onboard the Mayflower and set sail again,on September 16. This time, they kept going.

2. The New WorldThe ocean crossing was long and difficult. Many of the Pilgrims wondered if they would ever see land. Two people died, and one baby was born. On November 9, they saw land.

Two days later, they dropped anchor at Cape Cod, which isnow in Massachusetts. An advance party soon went ashoreand looked for food and shelter, while most of the people stayed aboard the Mayflower. A group of Pilgrims, led by William Bradford, signed the Mayflower Compact, which saidthat they agreed to govern themselves and not take orders from other people.

More scouting of the new land followed, and the entire group finally went ashore and began to build a settlement. It was December 23, and the place was Plymouth.

The first winter was very hard. More than 40 people died. The rest of the Pilgrims made it through the winter. In the spring, they began to plant food and continued to explore their new home.

On March 16, Samset and another Native American entered the Plymouth settlement and said, in English, "Welcome, Englishmen." The Pilgrims were amazed. Samoset explained that he had learned their language from English fishermen who had fished there in the winter. The two peoples exchanged greetings and ideas. They parted as friends.

A few days later, Samoset returned with Squanto, another Native American leader. The Pilgrims welcomed him, too.

Soon, Massasoit, the leader of the large tribe the Wampanoag, visited Plymouth. The two peoples signed a peace treaty that would last 50 years.

The Native Americans had taught the Pilgrims how to plant wheat, barley, Indian corn, and peas. Soon, the settlement was growing lots of food. Later that year, in the fall, the Pilgrims celebrated the harvest. They invited their Native American friends to join them. This has become known as the first Thanksgiving.

The Plymouth colony thrived. More people were born, andmore people arrived from Europe. Soon, other colonies sprung up. It wouldn't be long before English colonies filled the entire Eastern coast of North America.

The Pilgrims, in seeking freedom from religious punishment and economic hardship, had found in the New World new friends and a new way of life.

Native American Contributions

3.H.2 Use historical thinking skills to understand the context of events, people and places.

1. ContributionsDid you know that Native Americans have contributedmany things to the American way of life today? Things that you use or do now, many Native Americanshave been using and doing for many, many years.

Many times, the only thing people remember about Native Americans are the negative things-but they contribute many positive things and should be remembered for them. A lot of time, we only think about things we can readily identify as representing Native Americans, such as their fine art work. Yes-the people of the Southwest are known for their beautiful silver and turquoise jewelry. The people of the NorthwestCoast are known for their fantastic woodcarvings. The Plains Indians are well known for their beautiful beadwork.

But other than art, the Native Americans have influenced many areas of American living. Some of these things were begun long before the arrival of the European settlers on North American land.

2. Ecology

People of today have just begun to think about this. The Native Americans have always had a deep respect for the land. There was a love of every form of life. The Native Americans did not kill anything they could not use. They never killed an animal or a fish for the sport of it. Fishing and hunting were a way to survive. The Native Americans lived in harmony with nature and did not abuse the natural world. Native Americans were ecologists long before they were ever used. The Anishinaabe people do not have a word for “Conservation”, because it is an assumed way of life, it did not have to have a special word.

3. Foods

Native Americans learned to grow and use many different kinds of food that many people eat today, never considering that they first came from Native Americans: potatoes, beans, corn, peanuts, pumpkins, tomatoes, squash, peppers, nuts, melons, and sunflower seeds.

They also helped the European settlers survive in the New World by sharing their farming methods with them.

4. GamesCanoeing, snowshoeing, tobogganing, lacrosse, relay races,tug-of-wars, and ball games are just a few of the games early Native Americans played and still enjoy today. Many youth groups such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Campfire and YMCA Guides have programs based largely on Native American crafts and lore.

5. US Government

Benjamin Franklin said that the idea of the federal government, in which certain powers are given to a central government and all other powers are reserved for the states, was borrowed from the system of government used by the Iroquoian League of Nations.

6. Words

Countless Native American words and inventions have become an everyday part of our language and use. Some of these include: barbecue, caribou, chipmunk,

woodchuck, hammock, toboggan, skunk, mahogany, hurricane, andmoccasin. Many towns, cities and rivers have names of Native American origin. Just a few of these include: Seattle, Spokane, Yakima, Pocatello, Chinook, Flathead Lake,Milwaukee, Ottawa, Miami, Wichita, and Kalispell.

7. Sign languageA system of hand signals was developed to facilitate trade and communicate between different tribal groups and later between Native Americas and trappers and traders. The same idea is used today for communicating with those who are deaf and unable to speak. The signs are different, but the idea is the same.