The Coming of the Pilgrims
By Charles M. Andrews in 1918
The saga of the Pilgrims and Puritans, inextricably linked by their shared quest for religious freedom, marks a pivotal moment in the early history of the North American continent. Their migration to the New World heralded the dawn of permanent European settlement in the region known as New England. These intrepid souls, much like their contemporaries venturing to Virginia, Bermuda, and the Caribbean, were products of an era defined by English ambition and expansion. The 17th century witnessed the laying of the foundations of the British Empire in the Western Hemisphere, a period fueled by a confluence of economic, social, and religious factors. England, enjoying a period of relative peace and prosperity, saw its citizens eager to capitalize on the perceived opportunities that the New World offered.
This era was characterized by a widespread yearning for betterment. Landowners and tenant farmers alike sought to improve their circumstances. The gentry harbored desires to expand their estates, while tenant farmers yearned for liberation from the vestiges of feudalism that still legally bound them to the land. Visions of untold riches, fueled by tales of El Dorados in the West and the potential for lucrative commercial ventures, captivated capitalists and spurred investments promising swift and substantial returns. This ambition, coupled with the social and religious ferment of the time, set the stage for the great migration.
Beyond the lure of wealth and land, a pressing need to address social ills and the plight of the poor and vagrant motivated many. The dissolution of monasteries had exacerbated poverty, prompting authorities to seek solutions through the disposal of criminals and the provision of profitable service to the kingdom. England was teeming with restless individuals – seasoned seafarers, soldiers of fortune, and experienced captains seeking outlets for their energies during peacetime. Some continued to serve kings and princes across Europe, while others engaged in privateering against Spanish interests in the West Indies. Figures like John Smith and Miles Standish transitioned into pioneering roles in English colonization efforts, driven by a mix of personal ambition and nationalistic fervor. The Coming of the Pilgrims was thus a multifaceted event driven by a variety of factors.
However, transcending the allure of material gain was the profound influence of a social and religious movement that mirrored the widespread discontent of the era. The Reformation, the wellspring of this movement, represented more than just a revolt against the established doctrines and structure of the medieval church. It articulated the aspirations of the burgeoning middle class for a position commensurate with their increasing prominence in national life. While the feudal tenantry, entrenched in agriculture and bound by tradition, largely maintained the old ways, the towns were actively striving for emancipation from feudal control. The guild, a tightly-knit brotherhood with religious, educational, and economic functions, served as the nucleus of middle-class power. It was largely from these ranks – individuals familiar with the rhythms of the fields and the governance of guilds – that the early settlers of New England were drawn. The Coming of the Pilgrims represents a desire for a more equitable and prosperous life.
Equally significant were the transformations occurring in matters of faith and religious organization. The Peace of Augsburg in 1555, which temporarily quelled the religious conflicts sparked by the Reformation, not only acknowledged the legitimacy of Protestantism but also granted each state the authority to determine the religious creed within its borders. This principle, cuius regio, eius religio (whose realm, his religion), effectively denied individuals or groups the freedom to deviate from the established faith. This led to a second wave of revolt, directed not at the medieval church but at the authority of the state and its imposed creed, whether Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, or Calvinist. The Huguenots in France fought for their right to practice their faith freely, while the Puritans in England resisted conforming to a form of worship that retained elements of medieval rituals and ceremonies. This religious unrest fueled The Coming of the Pilgrims.
Radical leaders emerged, advocating for sweeping changes in religious doctrine and practice, and calling for complete separation from the Anglican Church. These Separatists, rejecting Anglicanism and other established creeds, severed all ties with national church systems, discarding formal rituals, ceremonies, and hierarchical church structures. They sought to discover true faith and a pure form of worship solely in the Word of God, with the Bible serving as the ultimate authority on religious truth. For these dissenters, the scriptures were the sole arbiter of religious truth.
The Separatists coalesced into small, independent religious communities, forming covenants with God and striving to live according to Divine Law in Holy Communion. These groups comprised men and women from humble backgrounds – artisans, tenant farmers, and some members of the middle class gentry. United in their faith and organized in a manner reminiscent of guilds or brotherhoods, they embraced a simplified church system and adhered to the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, as the guiding principle of their lives. Seeking to distance themselves from the perceived corruption of the world, they sought direct communion with God and embraced persecution as a validation of their faith. They welcomed hardship, exile, and even death as evidence of their righteousness and unwavering commitment to truth. Their radical beliefs and unconventional worship practices inevitably attracted the attention of both secular and ecclesiastical authorities. The Coming of the Pilgrims was thus a direct consequence of their beliefs.
While Separatist centers existed in London and Norfolk, the congregation that would eventually embark on the voyage to New England originated in Scrooby, Nottinghamshire. There, within the walls of Scrooby Manor-house, where William Brewster, the father, served as receiver and bailiff, and his son, the future elder of the Plymouth colony, worked as postmaster, a small Separatist congregation gathered. Richard Clayton preached, John Robinson prayed, and the young William Bradford was among its members. Composed of humble individuals from Nottinghamshire and neighboring counties, this group was soon discovered by the ecclesiastical authorities of Yorkshire. For over a year, they endured persecution, with some imprisoned and others subjected to constant surveillance. Ultimately, they resolved to seek refuge in Holland. Between 1607 and 1608, they secretly fled England, one group at a time, enduring significant losses and hardships, until, by August of the latter year, over a hundred men, women, and children had gathered in Amsterdam, "armed with faith and patience."
However, Amsterdam proved to be a disappointing sanctuary. In 1609, they relocated to Leyden, where they remained for eleven years, engaging in trades such as weaving and cloth manufacturing under the leadership of John Robinson and William Brewster. But eventually, new and compelling reasons arose, necessitating a third move, this time not to another city in Holland, but across the ocean to the New World. They felt the strain of hard labor and limited resources. They feared the loss of their language and the lack of opportunities for educating their children. They disapproved of the Dutch’s relaxed observance of Sunday and perceived the temptations of the city as a threat to the morals of the younger members of their community and a danger to the purity of their beliefs and practices. They resolved to seek a new land where they could preserve their identity, faith, and nationality. The Coming of the Pilgrims was driven by a desire to preserve their culture and religious beliefs.
After much deliberation, the momentous decision to emigrate was made, and preparations for the journey began. The question of their destination sparked debate. Guiana and other "wild coasts" were considered, but Virginia ultimately gained favor due to the possibility of establishing a private association, similar to other existing companies. To this end, they dispatched two representatives to England to secure a patent from the Virginia Company of London. Under this patent, and in allegiance to King James, yet acting as "a body in the most strict and sacred bond and covenant of the Lord," an independent and self-governing church, they would also function as a civil community, electing their own leaders from among their ranks. However, disputes within the London Company eroded their trust in that organization, and upon learning of the reorganization of the Virginia Company of Plymouth, which had obtained a new charter as the New England Council, they shifted their focus from southern to northern Virginia, that is, to New England, resolving to establish their settlement where fishing could provide a means of sustenance.
Their ambitious plans required financial backing. They engaged in extensive negotiations with Thomas Weston, a London merchant who pledged to assist them, and a group of seventy "adventurers" – gentlemen, merchants, and others – who agreed to advance the necessary funds. The Pilgrims entered into a partnership with these merchants, forming a voluntary joint-stock company. The merchants, who purchased shares, were to remain in England. The colonists, who contributed their labor at a fixed rate, were to travel to America, where they would engage in trade, bartering, and fishing for seven years. During this period, all profits were to be pooled into a common stock, and all lands were to remain undivided. The terms were demanding and discouraging, but the Pilgrims had no other option. Finally, they embarked from Delfthaven on the Speedwell, a small vessel purchased and outfitted in Holland, and sailed to Southampton, where the larger Mayflower awaited them. In August 1620, the two ships set sail, but the Speedwell, proving unseaworthy, was forced to return after two attempts.
The Mayflower continued alone, carrying 102 passengers, two-thirds of whom were deemed worthy and willing to undertake the arduous voyage. After a grueling journey of 65 days from Plymouth, England, to Cape Cod, the Mayflower reached the shores of New England on November 11, 1620. However, they did not finalize their landing site until December 21, 1620. Four days later, they erected their first building on the site of what would become the town of Plymouth.
The New England coast was not entirely unknown. Between 1607 and 1620, while settlers were establishing permanent colonies at Jamestown and in Bermuda, English and French explorers and fishermen had charted its headlands and explored its harbors. In 1614, John Smith, the renowned Virginia pioneer, who had left the service of the London Company and was employed by London merchants, explored the northern coast in an open boat and bestowed the name "New England" upon the region. These numerous voyages and trading expeditions sparked enthusiasm in England for the area’s abundant rivers, harbors, fertile soil, and excellent fishing grounds, and disseminated knowledge of the coast from Newfoundland to the Hudson River. The Pilgrims benefited from this accumulated knowledge, and the Mayflower‘s captain, Christopher Jones, guided them to a region that, while unoccupied by Englishmen, was neither unknown nor poorly regarded. The hardships that the Pilgrims faced during their first year in the Plymouth colony were attributable not to the region’s inhospitable nature, but to the time of year they landed, and to their inadequate provisions before leaving England. The settlers’ lack of preparedness contributed to the suffering and death that accompanied their initial experience with a New England winter.
Lacking a patent for their land or royal authorization to establish a government on the territory granted to the New England Council, this small group of men and women recognized the necessity of some form of governance. Before departing from Southampton, they had followed John Robinson’s instructions to select a governor and assistants for each ship to "order the people by the way." Now, at the end of their long journey, the men of the company convened in the Mayflower‘s cabin and drafted a covenant, uniting themselves into a body politic for their better ordering and preservation. This compact, signed by 41 members, including eleven bearing the title "Mister," was a plantation covenant, the political counterpart to the church covenant that bound every Separatist community. It stipulated that the people would live together in a peaceable and orderly manner under their chosen civil authorities. It was the first of many such covenants entered into by New England towns, not defining a government but binding the settlers to unite politically as they had already done for religious worship. John Carver, who had been elected governor on the Mayflower, was confirmed as governor of the settlement and granted one assistant. After their goods had been brought ashore and a few cottages constructed, the entire community met to establish laws and regulations for their civil and military governance.
More than half of this courageous but devastated community perished before the first winter ended. However, the survivors gradually acclimated, new colonists arrived, some from the community in Leyden, and their numbers steadily increased. The settlers were largely homogeneous in terms of social class, religious beliefs, and purpose. While there were some undesirable elements – individuals sent by English merchants or who arrived independently – who engaged in activities such as playing stoolball on Sunday, committing theft, or disrupting the community, their numbers were insignificant. Most of these individuals either remained for only a short time before departing for Virginia or elsewhere, or were shipped back to England by the Pilgrims as incorrigible. The people’s lives revolved primarily around agriculture, fishing, salt-making, and trade with the Indians. The partners in England provided cattle, livestock, and laborers, and, recognizing that their profits depended on the settlement’s success, did what they could to encourage its development. The Pilgrims were partners with the merchants, receiving directions but not commands.
Under the agreement of 1620 with their London partners, which remained in effect for seven years, the Plymouth settlers could neither divide their land nor dispose of the fruits of their labor. This arrangement became so onerous that in 1623, temporary assignments of land were made, which became permanent the following year.
During the ensuing two years, the failure of the joint venture became increasingly apparent, prompting both sides to seek its termination. The merchants, realizing no profit from the enterprise, sought to avoid further indebtedness, while the colonists, chafing under the dual control, desired to reap the full rewards of their efforts. Under the new system of small private properties, the settlers began to prosper. Despite the hardships and discouragements, the Pilgrims gradually achieved self-sufficiency. Once this became clear, they sent Isaac Allerton to England to negotiate with the financiers. These negotiations culminated in an agreement whereby eight leading members of the colony purchased the merchants’ shares for £1800, distributing the payment among the settlers, who numbered around 300 at this time. Each share conveyed a specific portion of land and livestock. The debt was not fully liquidated until 1642.
By 1630, the Plymouth colony was well-established and experiencing "outward estate" growth. The settlers’ numbers increased, they prospered financially, and they dispersed to outlying districts. Plymouth, the town, and Plymouth, the colony, ceased to be synonymous. By 1640, the latter had evolved into a cluster of ten towns, each a covenanted community with its own church and elder. Although the colony never obtained a charter of incorporation from the Crown, it developed a form of government that arose naturally from its own needs. By 1633, its governor and one assistant had expanded to a governor and seven assistants, elected annually at a primary assembly held in Plymouth town. The three components – governor, assistants, and assembly – collectively constituted the colony’s governing body. In 1636, the laws and ordinances were revised in the form of "The Great Fundamentals," a sort of constitution interspersed with statements of principles, which was printed with additions in 1671. The right to vote was initially limited to members of the company liable for its debt, but was later extended to include others, with 68 individuals exercising this right in 1633. By 1668, a voter was required to possess property, be "of sober and peaceable conversation," and take an oath of fidelity, though they were never required to swear allegiance to the Crown. The colony expanded so rapidly that by 1639, holding a primary assembly in Plymouth town became impractical, necessitating the election of delegates. Thus, a form of representative government was introduced. However, the governor, assistants, and deputies convened in a single room, never dividing into two houses as in other colonies.
The settlement of the Plymouth colony occupies a prominent place in New England’s history due to the faith, courage, and suffering of its participants. The Pilgrims’ greatness lies in their notable example and the influence they exerted on the church life of later New England colonies, as the congregational way of organization and worship became the accepted norm in Massachusetts and Connecticut. However, in other respects, Plymouth was overshadowed by its more vigorous neighbors. The humble and straightforward people of Plymouth were relatively unremarkable in terms of thought, literature, or education. Their intellectual and material poverty, lack of business acumen, unfavorable location, and legally vulnerable position rendered them almost a negligible factor in New England’s later development. No great movement originated within their ranks, no great leader was born among them, and no great work of art, literature, or scholarship can be attributed to this unassuming community. The Pilgrim Fathers stand instead as an emblem of virtue rather than a formative force in the nation’s life.