Contribute news or contact us by sending an email to: RCTonline@gmail.com

Monday, January 19, 2026

America 250-The ship, the Mayflower

 The Mayflower was the iconic English merchant ship that transported the Pilgrims, a group of English families seeking religious freedom, from England to the New World in 1620, establishing the Plymouth Colony in modern-day Massachusetts and shaping early American history. After a challenging 10-week voyage, the ship landed near Cape Cod, where the passengers, including "Saints" (Separatists) and "Strangers" (non-religious colonists), drafted the Mayflower Compact before their arduous first winter.

The passengers on the Mayflower were predominantly English, consisting of two main groups: Separatist Puritans (the "Saints") from England who had lived in Leiden, Netherlands, and other English adventurers and families (the "Strangers") seeking opportunity, with the crew also being English; while the Separatists sought religious freedom and English culture, the diverse backgrounds reflected different English regions and religious beliefs, but the core nationality remained English.

No comments: