Building bright futures

400 years ago, a group of English pilgrims set off on board the Mayflower to find a new life in America. We retrace their treacherous voyage across the Atlantic and discover why it’s remembered as such an iconic journey AMERICA VOYAGE TO

Plymouth Rock, Massachusetts Plymouth, England

A group of English people, who disagreed with how King James I was running the Church of England, set up secret churches. To avoid imprisonment, they moved to the Netherlands, where they could practise religion how they wanted. Later known as the Pilgrim Fathers, they fled across the North Sea to the town of Leyden.

1608

12 years in exile

The pilgrims lived in the Netherlands for 12 years but they worried that their children were growing used to the Dutch way of life and losing their English traditions. They decided to establish a new life on the east coast of America, where there were already European settlers.

After gaining permission to start a new settlement, they bought a sailing ship, Speedwell, and sailed from Delfshaven to Southampton Water, where they met up with a chartered cargo ship: the Mayflower. This ship was loaded with supplies and more people, recruited to help establish a successful society. The two ships left for Virginia in August.

1620

A rough start

Speedwell soon started leaking and both ships changed course to Dartmouth for extensive repairs. But Speedwell started taking on water again 300 miles off Land’s End. Back in Plymouth, they abandoned Speedwell and transferred cargo and passengers to the Mayflower.

Setting sail

The Mayflower finally left Plymouth in September with 102 passengers and about 30 crew, under the command of Captain Christopher Jones. The delay forced them to sail into a run of winter storms. Passengers suffered cold, damp, dark, cramped conditions and seasickness for 66 days. Several times, storms forced the crew to strike the sails and allow the ship to drift, adding to the misery and terror.

Land ho!

Cape Cod was in sight. This was too far north, but bad weather prevented them from moving . They didn’t have permission to settle here, so the 41 adult male passengers signed the Mayflower Compact and agreed to make a government: the first of its kind in America. After five weeks of exploring, they settled in what would become Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Mayflower remained at anchor as a base for the passengers, until they could support themselves. Sadly, only half survived the winter. The Mayflower set sail for home in April 1621.

Making a home

The remaining settlers thrived and celebrated their first harvest with a three-day festival of thanksgiving. They were joined by members of the Wampanoag tribe of Native Americans, who helped the settlers survive by teaching them to hunt, fish and grow crops. America still celebrates this historic occasion with an annual Thanksgiving holiday.

Conflict

Unfortunately, the initial mood of teamwork didn’t last, as more and more European settlers arrived. The Wampanoag tribe was almost wiped out by violence between the communities and diseases such as smallpox.

Historic legacy

Although nobody knows what happened to the Mayflower after its return to England, its voyage forged a long-lasting link between the UK, the Netherlands and America. To mark the 400th anniversary, events are planned across the UK, Holland and USA. Find out more and get the latest updates at mayflower400uk.org.