The Mayflower Compact & the Puritans

The Virginia Company gave the beginning of the society, the society which changed the shape of the USA, permanently. The newcomers didn’t let go the efforts they made.  The others followed, had to leave Britain. England underwent the process of inevitable and invariable changes, their status was uncertain. They were persecuted due to their faith and religious beliefs. They had to flee. It was 1620 a group of men and women decided to travel across the Atlantic in search of new opportunities, life free from persecution and injustice. The Pilgrims were searching for religious freedom. They are perceived as the most important founders of the United State of America.

The change was invariable and must have had consequences. The Catholicism was the predominant faith throughout most of the centuries, it has been halted in the XVI one. Reasons varied, however, new doctrines, ideas, pride and wealth of the Catholic church played against its existence. People felt the faith is no longer the factor, that there is something more than that. They had right.

There were few brave ones who would stand against the institution the Catholic church undoubtedly was and remains nowadays.  Martin Luther had no fear when started fighting with old and unfair doctrines. The God according to Luther listens to everyone, People do not need a Catholic church and its leaders to be devoted to God. Furthermore  church itself grows in power, whereas, people become poorer and poorer. Luther was hated and very much persecuted for what he dared to speak out loud.  Nonetheless, another young man, a lawyer put forward the similar ideas.  John Calvin was convinced that each of us is personally responsible to God, just like that, it is a matter of faith and belief, how deep it is inside of us, it doesn’t depend on the Catholic church and the Pope. It burst out the criticism and dissatisfaction.  Luther and Calvin made their protest against teaching and customs of the Catholic church, they were called ‘Protestants’. The ideas were revolutionary and spread like fire throughout Europe.

There was no religious tolerance, if happened, few people took it for granted. The huge upheaval had its onset in 1530s when the king of England – Henry VIII established a national church and proclaimed himself its head.  It outraged the Pope, made also believed that the Church of England was much alike the Catholic one. It was not true, obviously, people disliked its elaborate, rich rituals and ceremonies. The people expected the Church of England to be ‘modest’, plain and pure.  

It was King James I who firmly stated that the Puritans will be expelled from England if they do not accept His ideas of faith and religious approach. In 1603 a persecution began. Puritans were imprisoned. So they made flee to Holland. The Netherlands was the only country in Europe which allowed religious freedom. Despite the Dutch hospitality, newcomers never felt like home, for some reasons they decided to move on – they chose America. It was a new land which stood for new hopes and future. 

They returned to England, negotiated with the Virginia Company the terms by which they could sail to America and finally on 16^th of September 1620 they made the epic trip.

Before newcomers reached the coast of America they agreed to sign an agreement, it took place on Mayflower ship. The agreement was called The Mayflower Compact. The document stated:

-          the newcomers will set up the government ‘ a civil body politics’;

-          establish equal rights which embrace New Comers and Strangers;

This document is unique, namely, it represents first democratic government in America.The ship was mainly used to carry wines from France to England, now, she was submitted to much more dangerous voyage and it took it well, after sixty-five days on 9^th of November 1620 Mayflower reached America – Cape Cod – Massachusetts. It was a strip of land the Virginia Company gave Pilgrims to settle in. They couldn’t do without food and water, their supplies diminished, many went sick and died. On 21^st of December 1620 Pilgrims made trip to the other spot they called Plymouth. The winter was harsh, many didn’t make it, the hunger was overwhelming, frozen soil unable to make crops. It was barren during the winter time. They were lucky, thus, Native settlers were friendly enough to show them how to make crops, they gave them seeds and tools. Showed them skills they didn’t know about.

In 1622 other larger groups of Pilgrims arrived and settled in the area of nowadays Boston. In 1691 Boston joined the Plymouth colony, combined together they shaped – Massachusetts. Their leader – John Winthrop encouraged them to build the community based on solidarity and tolerance. He used to say ‘We shall be a City on a Hill’.

Puritanism was harsh and very strict, the law punished adultery, drunks, the common disobedience such as long hair. Roger Williams the governor of Salem was against the harsh law, he perceived it as too strict. Moreover, he put the idea that the church and the government should not act like one but be separated.

“(…) The Bloody Tenent of Persecution, published in 1644. Here, in a dialogue between Truth and Peace, he [Williams] pleaded for liberty of conscience as a natural right. He also contended that, since government is given power by the people, most of whom are unregenerate, it could not intervene in religious matters because the unregenerate had no authority to do so. But religious freedom did not mean civil anarchy. On the contrary, as he wrote in his letter ‘To the Town of Providence’ in 1655, liberty of conscience and civil obedience should go hand in hand. There goes many a Ship to Sea, with many a Hundred Souls in One Ship,’ he observed. They could include all kinds of faiths, ‘Papists and Protestants, Jews and Turks’, each going to ‘their own particular Prayers or Worship’. ‘Notwithstanding this liberty,’ Williams pointed out, ‘the Commander of this Ship ought to command the Ship’s Course; Yea, and also to command that Justice, Peace, and Sobriety, be kept and practiced.’ This was ‘a true Picture of a Common-Wealth, or an human Combination, or Society’(…).”

 He was captured and was about to go on trial, luckily he escaped and joined the other group of people who didn’t recognized Massachusetts. He was a founder of Rhode Island placed on Narragansett Bay. The Rhode Island colony was called – 'the land of the opposite-minded'. Another important colony was Pennsylvania founded by Roger Penn. He belonged to the religious community called – Quakers. They were very peculiar, they refused to take part in wars and to swear oaths. The liberal law and approach encouraged immigrants from Ireland and Germany to settle in. They became known as ‘Pennsylvania Dutch’. "Dutch" was simply a common name of North Europeans. New York was long time before – New Amsterdam which was brought to life in 1626 in 1664 it was taken from the Dutch and renamed as New York. In 1670 the English founded other colonies in South and North Carolina, in 1733 Georgia.

The idea of sharing and giving established the Thanksgiving. The celebration takes place every year on the fourth Thursday in November. In November 1621 the newcomers sat together and shared among themselves all they had. They gave thanks to God for safe journey.

It was not only England that spread its colonies all along the North coast of America, Holland did it as well. In 1620s they founded colony along the Hudson River – New Netherlands. The areas of nowadays Manhattan. In 1626 the governor of the New Netherlands – Peter Minuit ‘bought’ Manhattan for about $24.00. Manhattan and its boroughs stands for a unique and very picturesque American folklore.

It was just a hard onset of the colonial life. Freedom and independence newcomers was so eagerly looking for.

Bibliography:

1.      The Norton Anthology of American Literature.

2.      A History of American Literature, A. Grey

3.      An Outline of American History.

4.      An Illustrated History of the USA.