The voyage of the Mayflower began with a group of religious Separatists seeking an escape from persecution and this week marks the 400th anniversary of the beginning of their journey to a new life of freedom in America.
This group of Christians had become independent from the established church and were seeking a safe place to practice their faith. They began by escaping to the Netherlands where there was more tolerance of differing viewpoints, but found it hard to settle to their new surroundings and a new language. The group, who later became known as the Pilgrim Fathers, commissioned two ships to carry them to their new life across the Atlantic – the Speedwell and the Mayflower. They met in Southampton, planning to sail directly to America but problems with the Speedwell caused them to have to stop for repairs in Dartmouth and then again in Plymouth in Devon. The Speedwell was unable to continue the voyage so the Mayflower sailed alone to the New World, carrying around 30 crew and just over 100 passengers - 50 men, 19 women (three of whom were pregnant), 14 young adults and 19 children. Around half of the passengers were Separatists fleeing persecution and the other half were what we would now call economic migrants seeking work in America.
Read more at this link.
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