US History

Fort Burrows

3.5Seeking Religious Freedom

READ pgs 93 - 97

Main Idea:

The Pilgrims founded Plymouth Colony in 1620 in order to practice their religion freely.

Vocabulary:

Pilgrims – English settlers who sought religious freedom in America

established church – the religion chosen by the European ruler for the people of their country

At the time the Pilgrim Fathers were living in England, there was only one church approved by the English rulers. Everyone was required to attend that church - and ONLY that church - every week. If the English ruler was Protestant, all people of the realm were required to follow the Protestant beliefs and attend those church services; if the ruler was Catholic, everyone in the kingdom was required to practice the Catholic faith and rituals. All religion in the kingdom was strictly dictated by the government. This is what we call a "State Church."

persecution – mistreatment or punishment because of their religious beliefs

Mayflower Compact – a 1620 agreement between pilgrims and non-pilgrims, for

ruling the Plymouth Colony, signed before they landed atPlymouth;

master laws that would ‘insure the generalGood of the Colony’

precedent – anexample for others to follow in the future

Thanksgiving – day at the end of harvest season set aside by the Pilgrims to give

thanks to GOD

*** The Real 1st Thanksgiving -- In 1564, French Huguenot (French Protestants) colonistssafely landed on the banks of River of May (now the St. Johns River), gave thanks to GOD, and began building Fort Caroline in honor of King Charles, the 1st French colony near present-day Jacksonville, FL

Setting the Scene:

The small sailing ship had been tossed by so many storms that leaks had sprung in the ship’s hull. After two hard months at sea, the colonists on board were relieved to see the shores of New England. Still, there were no European colonies for hundreds of miles. Worse, it was already November of 1620, much too late for crops to be planted. One of the voyagers, William Bradford, vividly remembered the situation.

“ Being thus passed the vast ocean … they had now no friends to welcomethem nor inns to entertain or refresh their weather-beaten bodies; no houses or much less towns to repair to … And for the season it was winter, and they that know the winters of that country know them to be sharp and violent.” William Bradford, of Plymouth Plantation

European States and Religion

European Christians were divided into Protestant and Roman Catholic. This led to fierce religious wars. Most rulers believed to maintain order, they must support only one religious belief, thus making every citizen follow that chosen religion; established church. The Pope was in charge of the Roman Catholics and the King was in charge of the English Protestants. If you did not follow the established church, you were persecuted. You would have to worship in private or face possible imprisonment or execution by being ‘burned at the stake.’

 Separatists Seek Religious Freedom

 Pilgrims, or Separatists as they were originally called, faced persecution; they

were Protestant but did not want the King telling them how to worship

GOD.They were hunted and persecuted on every side. For some were taken

and clapped up in prison, others had their houses beset and watched night

and day … and most were glad to flee and leave their houses.”William Bradford

 early 1600, a group left England for the Netherlands; which allowed

freedom of religion

 they missed the English lifestyle and were still looking for a better place

The Pilgrim Colony at Plymouth

A group of Separatists got home sick for English life. They returned and began working for a charter to set up a colony in the new-world. The King was happy to let them go, let them settle wild land, let them still be his subjects, and let them be out of his hair. September 1620, a hundred men, women, and children set sail on the MAYFLOWER looking for Virginia but found the ‘rock’ instead. They named it Plimoth or Plymouth because that was the name of the port they had left in England.

 The Mayflower Compact

 knowing that they were not going to land in Virginia, and the terms of the

‘Virginia Charter’ would not govern them, the Mayflower passengers

prepared a document that would be their government; Mayflower Compact

 not all colonists were pilgrims, some were ‘strangers’ and would not be

bound to obey the Pilgrims

 November 21, 1620, 41 men wrote (MAYFLOWER COMPACT)the

framework for governing “all” people

that would be living in the new colony; they all signed it and pledged to unite

into a ‘civil body politic’, or government

 they created a social contract for self-government that would ‘insure the

general Good of the Colony’

 the male adults voted on laws, a governor, and people to sit on the council

 the Mayflower Compact strengthened the English tradition of governing

through elected representatives

¿¿ Why was the Mayflower Compact important to the growth of representative government ? ______

 Tradition of Religious Freedom

 true religious freedom that meant you could/couldn’t worship as you

pleased, did not spread very quickly; many unknowingly or intentionally

carried a form of their own ‘established church’, believing their way and

their religion practice was the only true way

 the Pilgrims set an important precedent regarding religion; announcing, ‘any

honest men may live with them, that will carry themselves peaceably and

seek common good’ - religious men and non-religious

 this became the cornerstone of American Democracy

*** What does cornerstone mean ? ______

Early Hardships

 First Winter in Plymouth

 the Pilgrims failed to bring enough food for the 1st winter

 they did not have enough time to build adequate shelter

 nearly ½ perished that first winter from disease or starvation

 the 1st elected governor died that first winter, lucky for us, and William

Bradford was elected; he was re-elected for 36 years

 true to their pilgrim beliefs and faith in GOD, they stayed and began to

flourish

Make a chart for discussion. Make a comparison list of what resources were available in 1600s compared to what is available now.

Resources / 1600s / 2000s
Clothing
Medicine
Food
Shelter
Transportation

 Help from Native Americans

 in the spring, they began to clear land for planting

 a Wampanoag Indian named Squanto ( not Tonto) brought the Pilgrims

seeds - corn, beans, and pumpkin – and showed them how to plant

 1580s – November 1622Native American Indian, as well as a British slave

 Squanto was captured by John Smith and lived in England for a while; he learned thelanguage and could communicate very well

 his given European slave name was Jeremiah Stein

 it is believed he had an Indian wife called Kistapa and when captured left a boy namedSachame behind

 once in England, he had relations with another woman whose name is thought to be Lady Jane Smith and bore her two children, John and Shandarel

 he also showed them how to catch eel from nearby rivers

 the Pilgrims called him an instrument of GOD

 that fall, after a successful harvest, they took a day and gave thanks to GOD

for providing such bountiful crops

 by repeating this ‘day of thanks’ after each harvest, they created

Thanksgiving

  1. How did the European states control or regulate religion ?

______

  1. Why did the colonists at Plymouth feel they needed the Mayflower Compact ?

______

  1. How were the Pilgrims able to survive early hardships ?

______

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