Tag: pilgrims
Colonial Women, Thirteen Colonies

The Pilgrims

• Maggie

Pilgrim Women at Plymouth Colony The Pilgrim Maiden Statue Sculpted by Henry Hudson Kitson Brewster Gardens, Plymouth, Massachusetts Dedicated in 1924 to “those intrepid English women whose courage, fortitude and devotion brought a new nation into being.” In the first years of the 17th century, small numbers of English Puritans broke away from the Church of England and committed themselves to a life based on the Bible. Most of these Separatists were farmers, poorly educated and without social or political standing. The Separatists were persecuted in England, and many fled to Holland where their religious views were tolerated. They remained there for almost 12 years.
Thirteen Colonies

Plymouth Colony

• Maggie

First of the New England Colonies Plymouth Colony Begins The people we know as the Pilgrims have become so surrounded with legends and tales that we tend to forget that they were real people – but they were placed in extraordinary situations. And yes, they did wonderfully brave things. Basically, they were English people who had suffered persecution in their homeland, and were searching for a place where they could worship God as they chose. On December 20, 1620, the Pilgrims dropped anchor in Plymouth Harbor. The spot they chose had been named “Plimouth” on a 1614 map made by Captain John Smith, and thus it was named. The men spent three days surveying for a settlement site. They finally…

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Colonial Women, Thirteen Colonies

Pilgrims—Not Puritans!

• Maggie

English Separatists The men and women who founded Plymouth Colony were not Puritans. The Puritans were a totally different sect—they wanted to reform the Church of England. They established the Massachusetts Bay Colony a decade later. The people who sailed into Plymouth Harbor on the Mayflower in 1620 weren’t Pilgrims either. They were Separatists, because they wanted to make a complete break from the Church of England—they believed that it was too corrupt to be reformed. They were persecuted for their beliefs by the English monarchy and to a lesser degree by the Puritans. In 1608, a few congregations fled to Holland. They were referred to as pilgrims because of their sojourns in search of religious freedom. At some point,…

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