November, 2010
Dear Families,
We’ve been learning a great deal about the Pilgrims' grueling 66-day trip to America in 1620, which began on Sept 16 (New Style time). Although a cruise on the Atlantic may sound quite nice by today's standard the Separatists, (more commonly known as the Pilgrims), experienced something far, far from a luxurious vacation on a cruise ship. The Mayflower was crowded with 102 passengers and a crew of 25 to 30 (including captain, sailors, and cooks). There were actually two ships that left England in July, 1620, but after the voyage began, it was discovered the ship named the Speedwell was not in good shape, and continuing the voyage would be too dangerous. Both ships, the Speedwell and the Mayflower turned back. The passengers from the Speedwell went aboard the Mayflower and the journey across the Atlantic Ocean began again on that famous day in September of 1620.
About half of the passengers were of a small party of religious Puritan Dissenters who wished to practice their religion freely. There were few comforts aboard the Mayflower, but the Separatists believed so strongly in their right to practice the religion of their choosing, they made the harsh and dangerous trip from Leiden, Holland and London, England. They felt escaping the rule of the King of England and his religious mandates was worth the risk. They hoped the New World (America) would be the land of freedom and promise for them.
Although food, fresh water, cider and hard cider were supplied on the ship, the meals were small and had little nutritional value. Several people became ill and two people died. There was a baby boy born on ship, and he was fittingly named Oceanus.
Originally there were two ships (the Speedwell and the Mayflower) that set out for America from Plymouth, England. However, the Speedwell experienced a problem, and it would be too dangerous to continue the trip, so the passengers were allowed to board the Mayflower under the guidance of Captain Christopher Jones, making this boat even more crowded than originally planned. Families slept on blankets laid out on the deck floor. Sailors did not want passengers in their way on the top deck, so children and adults were often kept below deck during the 66-day voyage. Families had to make difficult choices about what to bring to the New World. Only necessary items were allowed to be transported in the family trunk even though the travelers knew they would have no opportunity to find a shop to purchase new clothing or household items once they arrived in America.
Families had to say goodbye to family members, such as grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins whom they most likely would never see again. Arriving in America brought a new surprise. The Mayflower originally planned on landing near what is known as New York City today, but instead landed in an area of today's Massachusetts. The landing area was named Plymouth, Massachussetts by the Pilgrims, and John Carver became Governor, commissioned by King James, himself. The Mayflower Compact was signed by a group of the Mayflower passengers. This compact was a set of laws by which people in this new community would abide by—a set of laws to follow. Governor Carver was responsible for getting Chief Massasoit to sign a peace treaty. However, in March, 1621, Governor Carver became ill after working in the fields, and died. At that time William Bradford became governor (note that Dorothy Bradford, William's wife, fell off the docked Mayflower on Dec. 7, 1620. The water was freezing cold and she drowned).
There are photos of Mrs. Puffer's class helping our class make our hats for the re-enactment on Monday morning. There will also be photos posted of Monday's re-enactment with Mrs. Puffer, Mrs. Riccardi and Mrs. Orr's classes.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Brenda
PS: It's important to note that the passengers of the Mayflower did not get off the boat and have the first Thanksgiving meal. They had shelters to build, food to forage and hunt, and things to do before a long, cold winter set in. The Mayflower was used as a type of motel during the building stages, and several people died during the harsh New England winter. It was a whole year later that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated. Those who survived the journey and the first year in the new land gave thanks and celebrated with neighboring Native Americans, who helped them learn many new skills for surviving and building a community where religious freedom was respected and flourished.
