Thanksgiving
Who Were the Pilgrims?
Church of England
Puritans
Separatists
Netherlands
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