A Brief History of the Pilgrims

Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 by Catherine McGrew Jaime
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When James became King of England after the death of Queen Elizabeth, he was also the
head of the Church of England. As such, it was his desire that all Englishmen worship
only in his church! Those who did not conform to his wishes were called
Nonconformists. The Nonconformists who were concerned about a purer religion were
called Puritans and those who separated themselves from the Church entirely were
called Separatists.
King James did not like Nonconformists, Puritans or Separatists. At one point he invited
hundreds of ministers from different Nonconformist churches to talk to him, but instead
he declared to them: I will have one doctrine, one discipline, one religion. I alone will
decide. I will make you conform or I will harry you out of the land, or else do worse
hang you!
When it was obvious that the King meant to go through with his threat, the
nonconformists meeting in Scrooby in the home of William Brewster (the Scrooby
Separtists), decided that they must leave England at once. The government in Holland
allowed freedom of worship, and the decision was quickly made to go there. Brewster
made arrangements with a ships captain to take them all to Holland one night in 1607.
(The same year Jamestown was being settled.) The members of the congregation had
sold their homes, and journeyed to Boston, England. Instead of taking them to Holland,
the ship captain betrayed them to the Kings men, and most of the congregation spent the
next six months in jail.

King James

William Brewster

In the spring of 1608, Brewster contracted with a Dutch ship captain to take his
congregation to Holland. When the members met along the coast, the ship was not there.
In the morning, the Dutch ship had arrived. Before most of the families had been loaded
on board, the English police arrived. The Dutch shipmaster was not about to stick around
and be arrested for his part in the planned escape, so he took off with all who had already
loaded onto his ship. The trip from England to Holland took fourteen days instead of
two, due to a storm. The families who were unfortunate enough to be left behind on the
English shores were thrown in jail again. Many weeks later they were finally released
and allowed to join their families in Holland. About a year was spent in Amsterdam, and
then the group moved on to the Dutch city of Leyden where they resided for the next
eleven years.
The Nonconformists were very happy with their religious freedoms for the many years
they were in Holland. But they regretted the loss of their ties to England. They did not
want their families growing up Dutch. And all was not perfect in Holland. They were
dismayed at the lifestyles that were acceptable to many around them.

It was finally decided that they should cross the great ocean and go to New Amsterdam or
Virginia to settle. It took many more years before they were able to find men who would
loan them the money for the ships they would need, and longer still before King James
would grant them permission to go and worship in the ways that they saw fit.

New Amsterdam (later New York City) during the 17th Century
In the summer of 1620 the Separatists were finally able to leave Holland. They sailed
from Delft Haven to Southampton, England and Plymouth, England where they picked
up more passengers, and adopted the name Pilgrims, since they were in search of a
home. The Pilgrims heading to the New World included the Separatists who were
leaving for religious freedom, and Strangers who were added to the group by the
investors for financial reasons. They left England on the Mayflower and the Speedwell,
only to have to return to England when the Speedwell sprung a leak. After another delay,
they left England again, crowded onto just the Mayflower.

The Mayflower was driven off course in a storm and after sixty-seven difficult days
ended up at Cape Cod, instead of at the mouth of the Hudson River in New York.
Before they went ashore, the men aboard the Mayflower signed the Mayflower Compact,
which began: In the name of God, Amen. We whose names are underwritten, by these
presents, solemnly and mutually, in the presence of God, and one another, covenant and
combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and
preservation and furtherance of the same aforesaid.
William Bradford later wrote of their journey: so they committed themselves to the
will of God and resolved to proceed.
About the author:
Catherine McGrew Jaime was born in the Panama Canal Zone the first time her father
was stationed there. In the 50+ years since, she has traveled throughout North America
and much of Western Europe.
~
After high school, Catherine attended M.I.T. where she met her future husband, Daniel.
When Daniel joined the Army, Catherine's travels continued. In fact, she fell in love with
history during their 5 1/2 year stay in Wuerzburg, Germany and she wrote her first book
during that time.
~
Catherine has spent most of the last thirty years educating their twelve children, while
also teaching classes for other homeschoolers -- classes from Shakespeare to Government
to Economics and more. When she teaches, she strives to make history come alive for her
students. She immerses them in each subject, including taking them on trips across the
country to experience history where it happened.
~
Some of her many trips have included following the Lewis and Clark Trail in 2005 with
members of her family and volunteering at Jamestown during the four hundred year
anniversary in 2007. On a trip back to Panama in 2008 she started her "Horsey and
Friends" series, which she has continued during recent "school trips" to Washington,
D.C., Virginia, and more.
~~~
Other titles by Catherine Jaime
Da Vinci: His Life and His Legacy
Leonardo the Florentine (historic fiction)
Leonardo: Masterpieces in Milan (historic fiction)
A Brief History of New York City
Understanding the U.S. Constitution
Important Constitutional Documents
The Philadelphia Convention: A Play for Many Readers
Failure in Philadelphia (historic fiction)
The Philadelphia Convention: In Their Own Words
A Brief Financial History of the United States
Understanding the Electoral College

The Declaration of Independence: A Play for Many Readers

A Brief Introduction to the Lewis and Clark Expedition
York Proceeded On (historic fiction)
The Rocky Road to Civil Rights in the United States
Tales from the Troubled South: Civil Rights in Alabama
An American Looks at Wuerzburg, Germany
A Trial of a Trial (A Mock Trial Story)
Sharing Shakespeare with Students (Lite)
A Novel Approach to Shakespeares Much Ado About Nothing
Organized Ramblings: Home Education
CHRISTmas Fun
Democracy Vs. Republic Mini Unit
Simply Put: Self-Publishing Basics
The Adventures of Horsey in Panama
Bandits Trip to Washington
Alligator Als Adventures in Florida
The Journal of Jimmy and Jos Journey to Virginia
Muffin Puffin and the Whale Tale
Henrietta Visits Greenfield Village
~~
Connect with Catherine Online:
Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/CatherineJaime
www.CatherineJaime.com
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