400th Anniversary of the Mayflower Voyage

September 6 - November 9, 1620


We will post information about the voyage
on Facebook & on this page
​weekly from Sept. 6 through Nov. 22.
​

2020 marks the 400th Anniversary of the Mayflower’s voyage to the New World. The Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England on Sept. 6, 1620 and spotted land at Cape Cod on November 9. 

We encourage families to learn more about this voyage and Plymouth Colony. 
One excellent on-line resource is mayflowerhistory.com.  That website includes biographical information about most of the passengers and some of the crew members.  You may want to read one long biography or two or three shorter ones each day.  We have listed other resources below.

Who sailed on the Mayflower?  Did they all know one another?  No.  Although we tend to refer to them all as Pilgrims, less than half of the passengers were Separatists, wanting to separate from the Church of England and find a place where they were free to worship as they chose.  Most of these were from the same congregation.  They had left England many years earlier and were living in the city of Leiden in the Netherlands.  Others passengers were adventurers, craftsmen, or tradesmen, hoping for land, freedom, and a better life.  Some were servants.  There were also 20-30 crewmen. 

Did you know that another ship was supposed to sail with the Mayflower? The Separatists left Holland on July 22, 1620 on board the Speedwell to meet up with the Mayflower in England.  The Speedwell had been leaking, so they spent time making repairs.  On Aug. 5, the two ships left Southampton, England to sail for the New World, but pulled into Dartmouth for repairs about a week later.  They again set sail on Aug. 21, but after sailing about 300 miles the Speedwell again began to leak and they returned to shore at Plymouth.  It was decided that the Mayflower would make the voyage alone.  The supplies and most of the passengers were transferred to the Mayflower, although some decided to return home and not make the trip. 

The Mayflower finally set sail from Plymouth, England on Sept. 6, 1620 and they spotted land at Cape Cod on November 9.  How many days was that?  (Encourage children to use a calendar to count the days).  To help you relate, how many days were we quarantined under the stay-at-home order this spring?  Most of the Separatists had actually been living on board a ship since July 26.  Many of the passengers continued to live on the Mayflower even after dropping anchor in New England, until the first buildings were constructed in December and January, and some lived on board most of the winter. 
 
[Most sources say they were at sea for 66 days, but I only count 65.  Also, at the time of the Mayflower Voyage they were using the Julian calendar.  We use the Gregorian calendar, so some anniversary websites say the ship sailed on Sept. 16, 1620 using our calendar.]

How big was the ship?  It is estimated that the Mayflower was about 90 ft. long by 24 or 25 ft. wide, with the interior decks being about 80ft. long.  It was a merchant ship and not designed for passengers.  How large is your home?  How many people live there?  A high school basketball court is about 84 ft. long by 50 ft wide. 102 passengers (including about 30 children) and about 20-30 crew members sailed on the Mayflower.  The Pilgrim’s quarters were on the “’tween deck” (between the top deck and the cargo hold) and the ceiling was only about 5’6” high, so many of the adults wouldn’t be able to stand up straight.  Imagine 102 people living in a space smaller than half of a basketball court for more than 2 months.  

What did they eat?  The passengers brought stores of food and supplies with them, along with everything they thought they might need to survive in the new world.  At the beginning of the trip when the food was fresh and the sea was calm, they may have been able to cook some food using a sort of fire box or brazier.  Some sources say only the ship’s cook was allowed to do this because of the danger of fire.  They probably had some vegetables such as onions, cabbage, peas, turnips, and parsnips.  Mainly they ate cheese, dried or salted meat or fish, dried fruits, and hardtack.  Some of the food had spoiled before the end of the voyage. They drank small beer and cider.  When they were seasick, they didn’t feel like eating at all.  

What did the passengers do while they were aboard the ship?  The men were sometimes able to walk in the fresh air on the top deck of the ship when the seas were calm, but they had to stay out of the sailors’ way.  Otherwise, most of the passengers remained down in the “tween” deck.  When it wasn’t too dark, they may have read the Bible or another book, or played chess or Nine Man Morris.  The children may have had some lessons and played quiet games like Cat’s Cradle (with string).  The women cared for the children and talked with one another; they were unable to do laundry, but may have done some mending.  The Separatists probably sang psalms and spent much time in prayer.  Many were seasick and slept a lot.

Were the Pilgrims homesick?  Probably. When we were in quarantine many of us missed seeing our friends and relatives.  Think about how these passengers felt.  They left behind everything to sail across the ocean, with no intention of returning.  Some of the men traveled without their wives and children, because they felt it was too dangerous and they hoped their family could make the voyage at a later time after the colony had been established.  Some were able to do so, and the families were reunited.  Also, their new life was full of hardships, especially at first. 

Was Plymouth Colony the first colony of Europeans in the New World?  No.  The Mayflower was originally heading for Virginia, where Jamestown was founded in 1607.  They had permission to settle there.  The ship was off course due to storms and landed about 200 miles north, at Cape Cod, in the area we now call Massachusetts. They knew they would all need to work together to survive, so the passengers wrote and signed an agreement called the Mayflower Compact.  They agreed to establish a civil government, separate from the Church, with elected officials and just and equal laws. 

102 passengers set sail on the Mayflower.  How many arrived in Cape Cod?

102.  One passenger (and one crew member) died at sea, but one baby was born, named Oceanus.
Another baby, Peregrine (meaning Pilgrim), was born on the ship after it was anchored in the harbor.


What was it like when they finally made it to land?  They dropped anchor in Cape Cod on Nov. 9, 1620.  They were not in Virginia where they intended to be, so there were no other settlements in the area.  It was the beginning of winter and they were not prepared for the cold.  Food supplies were running low.  The land in the immediate area was not suitable for farming.  Several expeditions were made, by a small group of men in a rowboat, to locate a suitable site for the colony.  It was late December before they began building the first structure; a common house, which took them 23 days to build.  The men were cold and often soaked by icy rain.  The women and children remained on the ship, but it was also cold and damp, since they could not build a fire on board.  More than half of the individuals, including all but 4 or 5 of the original 18 adult women, died that first winter from malnutrition, disease, and exposure to the harsh elements.  Most of the children survived. 

Why do you suppose most of the children survived?  We don’t really know for sure.  Some reasons might be that the adults were caring for the sick, so they were exposed to the diseases.  Also, the parents may have given most of the family’s food and blankets to their children. 

What happened to the Mayflower?  On April 5, 1621 the Mayflower and a small crew (some crew members had died and some decided to stay in New Plymouth) sailed back to England, arriving on May 9.  The return journey only took about half as long as the original voyage due to the winds being with them and not against them.  The trip is about 3,000 miles.  How long would it take today on a modern ocean liner or cruise ship?  The Mayflower made at least one trading voyage between England and France.  In 1624 it was described as being in ruins and was probably scrapped.  

How did the Pilgrims survive?  The native people helped them.  Samoset was the leader of a tribe farther north.  He had learned some English from fishermen.  Squanto had been kidnapped by English explorers and taken to England and Spain.  He escaped and sailed back.  He spoke English fluently and helped make a peace treaty between the Pilgrims and Chief Massasoit of the Wampanoag people.  Squanto and the others showed the colonists how to hunt, fish, gather seafood, and plant crops.  Between September and November 1621, when they had their first successful harvest, they held a three day festival of Thanksgiving.  Many of the Wampanoag people came to the celebration, hunting deer to contribute to the feast. 

This is the final post for the series.  Happy Thanksgiving!



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For more information:

Websites:
mayflowerhistory.com
mayflower400uk.org/education
history.com/topics/colonial-america/mayflower
scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/mayflower-voyage
plymouth400inc.org/education
themayflowersociety.org
https://www.plimoth.org/
https://www.ushistory.org/documents/mayflower.htm -- the Mayflower Compact
 
Books owned by the Carthage Public Library:
(We can borrow additional items through InterLibrary Loan
For Adults
Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick, 973.2 Phi & CDBook 2185 Phi
The Mayflower by Kate Caffrey, 973.2 Caf
The Pilgrims by Francis Dillon, 973.2 Dil
The Faith of the pilgrims: An American Heritage by Robert Bartlett, 974.4 Bar
Thanksgiving: The Pilgrims’ First Year in America by Glenn Cheney, 974.402 Che
One Small Candle: The Pilgrims’ First Year in America by Thomas Fleming, 973.2 Fle
A Little Commonwealth; Family Life in Plymouth Colony by John Demos, 301.42 Dem
Pilgrim Colony, a History of New Plymouth, 1620-1691 by George Langdon, 974.402 Lan
 
For children and students:
Sailing on the Mayflower by Caryn Jenner, J 979.4 Jen
Mayflower: The Ship that Started a Nation by Rebecca Siegel, on order
The Mayflower: The Perilous Journey that Changed the World by Libby Romero, on order
Sailing on the Mayflower by Jessica Rusick, on order
The Pilgrims at Plymouth by Lucille Recht Penner, J 974.4 Pen
The Pilgrims and Me by Judy Donnelly, J 974.4 Don
The Story of the Pilgrims by Katharine Ross, E Ros Holiday 901
Daily Life in the Pilgrim Colony 1636 by Paul Erickson, J 974.48 Eri
Samuel Eaton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Boy by Kate Waters, J 974.4 Wat
The First Thanksgiving by Lou Rogers, J 394.2 Rog
The First Thanksgiving by Jean Craighead George, J394.2 Geo
The First Thanksgiving Feast by Joan Anderson, J 974.4 And
The Pilgrims’ First Thanksgiving by Ann McGovern, J 394.2 McG
Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation by Diane Stanley, Juv book & CD #214
The First Thanksgiving by Linda Hayward, E Hay Holiday
Turkeys, Pilgrims and Indian Corn by Edna Barth, J 394.2 Bar
The Story of Squanto, First Friend to the Pilgrims, by Cathy Dubowski, JB Squ
Squanto: The Pilgrim Adventure by Kate Jassem, JB Squ
Squanto: The Indian Who Saved the Pilgrims by James Rothaus, J 970.004 Rot
Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving by Joseph Bruchac, E Bru holiday

The Journal of Jasper Jonathan Pierce, a Pilgrim Boy, historical fiction, by Ann Rinaldi, JF Rin series
A Journey to the New World:  The Diary of Remember Patience Whipple, historical fiction  by Kathrynn Laskey, JF Las series
Food and Recipes of the Pilgrims by George Erdosh, J641.59744 Erd
 
Video:  Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, DVD 372
Thanksgiving, DVD 883 (& ROE DVD 901)