Voyage of the Mayflower (1620)

Motivations for the voyage

A congregation of approximately 400 English Protestants living in exile in Leiden, Holland were dissatisfied with the failure of the Church of England to eliminate its excesses and abuses. Rather than work for change in England (as other Puritans did), they chose to live as separatists in religiously tolerant Holland in 1608. As separatists, they were considered illegal radicals by their home country.

The Leiden government's reputation for offering financial aid to reformed English, French and German churches caused the city to become a desirable destination for Protestant intellectuals. Many of the separatists were members of an illegal church in Nottinghamshire, England, secretly practicing their Puritan form of Protestantism. When they learned that the authorities were aware of their congregation, church members hurriedly fled in the night without most of their possessions and clandestinely traveled to Holland.

Life in Holland became increasingly difficult for the congregation. They were forced into menial and backbreaking jobs such as cleaning wool, which led to a variety of health afflictions. In addition, a number of the country's leading theologians began engaging in open debates that led to civil unrest, instilling the fear that Spain might again place Holland's population under siege as it had done years earlier. English king James I formed an alliance with Holland against Spain, with a condition outlawing independent English church congregations in Holland.

Leaving Holland

After deciding to leave Holland, the Pilgrims planned to cross the Atlantic using two purchased ships. The small ship Speedwell would first carry them from Leiden to England, and the larger Mayflower would transport most of the passengers and supplies across the ocean.

Some of the Separatists were unable to depart, as they did not have enough time to settle their affairs and were unable to afford the necessary travel supplies. The congregation decided that the younger and stronger members should embark on the first journey, with others possibly following in the future. Although the congregation had been led by John Robinson, who first proposed the idea of emigrating to America, he chose to remain in Leiden to care for those who could not make the voyage.

In explaining to his congregation why they should emigrate, Robinson used the analogy of the ancient Israelites leaving Babylon to escape bondage by returning to Jerusalem, where they would build their temple. "The Pilgrims and Puritans actually referred to themselves as God's New Israel", writes Peter Marshall. It was therefore considered the destiny of the Pilgrims and Puritans to similarly build a "spiritual Jerusalem" in America.

Truly doleful was the sight of that sad and mournful parting. To see what sighs and sobs and prayers did sound among them; what tears did gush from every eye, and pithy speeches pierced each heart...their Reverend Pastor, falling down on his knees, and they all with him...

Speedwell and Mayflower

Carrying about 65 passengers, Mayflower left London in mid-July 1620. The ship proceeded down the Thames to the south coast of England, where it anchored at Southampton, Hampshire. While there, she awaited the planned rendezvous on 22 July with the Speedwell, arriving from Holland with members of the Leiden congregation. Although both ships planned to depart for America by the end of July, a leak was discovered on Speedwell that required repair.

The ships set sail for America around 5 August, but Speedwell sprang another leak shortly after, necessitating the ships' return to Dartmouth for repairs. They made a new start after the repairs, but more than 200 miles (320 km) beyond Land's End at the southwestern tip of England, Speedwell sprang a third leak. As it was now early September, with vital funds having been wasted that were crucial to the success of the Pilgrims' settlement in America, Speedwell's journey was scrapped. Both ships returned to Plymouth, England, where 20 Speedwell passengers joined the overcrowded Mayflower, while the others returned to Holland.

The Mayflower crew waited for seven more days until the intensity of the wind increased. William Bradford was especially worried, writing, "We lie here waiting for as fair a wind as can blow... Our victuals will be half eaten up, I think, before we go from the coast of England; and, if our voyage last long, we shall not have a month's victuals when we come in the country."

Mayflower sets sail

In early September, western gales turned the North Atlantic into a dangerous place to sail. Mayflower's provisions were already quite low when departing Southampton, and they became lower still by delays of more than a month. The passengers had been on board the ship this entire time, weary and ill-prepared for a very taxing, lengthy Atlantic journey in the cramped spaces of a small ship.

When Mayflower sailed from Plymouth alone on 16 September [O.S. 6 September] 1620, with what Bradford called "a prosperous wind", she carried 102 passengers and a crew of 25 to 30 officers and men, bringing the total aboard to approximately 130. At about 180 tons, she was considered a smaller cargo ship, having traveled mainly between England and Bordeaux with clothing and wine, not an ocean ship. Mayflower's physical condition was suboptimal, as she was sold for scrap four years after her Atlantic voyage. She was a high-built craft forward and aft, measuring approximately 100 feet (30 m) in length and about 25 feet (7.6 m) at her widest point.

Voyage across the Atlantic

The living quarters for the 102 passengers were cramped, with the living area about 20 by 80 feet (6 by 24 m) or 1,600 square feet (150 m2) and the ceiling about five feet (1.5 m) high. The cabins were thin-walled and extremely cramped. The maximum possible space for each person would have been slightly less than the size of a modern-day single bed. With couples and children packed closely together for a trip lasting two months, a great deal of trust and confidence was required among everyone aboard.

John Carver, one of the leaders on the ship, often inspired the Pilgrims with a "sense of earthly grandeur and divine purpose". He was later called the "Moses of the Pilgrims", notes historian Jon Meacham. Author Rebecca Fraser wrote that the Pilgrims "believed they had a covenant like the Jewish people of old" and that "America was the new Promised Land". American writer James Russell Lowell stated, "Next to the fugitives whom Moses led out of Egypt, the little shipload of outcasts who landed at Plymouth are destined to influence the future of the world."

The first half of the voyage proceeded over calm seas and under pleasant skies. Then the weather changed, with continuous northeasterly storms and huge waves constantly crashing against the topside deck. In the midst of one storm, William Butten, the young, indentured servant of physician Samuel Fuller, died—the sole fatality of the voyage—and was buried at sea. A baby was also born, christened Oceanus Hopkins.

Arrival in America

On 19 November [O.S. 9 November] 1620, the crew sighted present-day Cape Cod. They spent several days trying to sail south to their planned destination of the Colony of Virginia, where they had obtained permission to settle from the Company of Merchant Adventurers of London. However, the strong winter seas forced them to return to the harbor at Cape Cod hook, known today as Provincetown Harbor, and with supplies running short, they set anchor on 21 November [O.S. 11 November].

It was before setting anchor that the male Pilgrims and non-Pilgrim passengers (whom the Pilgrims called "strangers") wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact. Among the resolutions in the compact were those establishing legal order meant to quell increasing strife within the ranks. Myles Standish was selected to ensure that the rules were obeyed, as there was a consensus that discipline must be enforced to ensure the survival of the planned colony. After the men had agreed to settle and build a self-governing community, the passengers disembarked.

Being thus arrived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven, who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element.