jjares reviewed The Mayflower: A Captivating Guide to a Cultural Icon in the History of the United States of America and the Pilgrims? Journey from England to the Establishment of Plymouth Colony on + 3270 more book reviews
Having read both of Captivating History's previous publications, THE PILGRIMS and THE PURITANS, I knew the general outline of where the story was going. However, this story fills in a lot of info not told in the previous two publications. In order to keep the Pilgrims and Puritans straight in my mind, I came up with a comparison chart. (Various articles I've read use the two terms interchangeably. They are very different groups.)
PILGRIMS --
A few came to America,
Poorer class & soldiers, generally uneducated,
Wanted to separate from the Church of England (often referred to as Separatists),
Lived for a time in the Netherlands, but wanted their family to remain English, instead of their children turning into Dutch.
Came over in one ship (Mayflower),
A good relationship with Native Americans and traded food for furs.
Mayflower Compact -- All men participate in majority rule. Had town meetings to discuss issues.
Eventually moved from communal property to individual properties. Food then became abundant.
PURITANS --
Many came to America,
Upper middle class, educated,
Wanted to 'purify' the Church of England (not separate from it, like the Pilgrims),
Came over in multiple ships (some were on the Mayflower),
A poor relationship with Native Americans; Puritans thought they should be killed.
Only Puritan ministers could make rules, based on the Bible.
Strict rules and harsh punishments.
This story of the Mayflower is an adventure tale with lots of high drama. The reader gets a strong sense of the terrible danger, appalling smells, and woeful preparation the Puritans had for the trouble they experienced. And that is before we ever get to the Mayflower Compact. There was one death and one near-death on the trip (John Howland's story is an incredible adventure).
By the time the Mayflower landed, there were 102 people on board (one died and one was born). Fewer than half were Pilgrims (other spaces had been sold to Puritans and Church of England members). Realizing they needed some form of governance, they agreed to the Mayflower Compact.
That was not the end of their troubles. They got on land just as winter was upon them. Only 45 of the original 102 survived the brutal winter. But with spring, gifts came to the Europeans -- peace with the Native Americans and a teacher (in the form of Tisquantum). This is an engaging story to the end.
PILGRIMS --
A few came to America,
Poorer class & soldiers, generally uneducated,
Wanted to separate from the Church of England (often referred to as Separatists),
Lived for a time in the Netherlands, but wanted their family to remain English, instead of their children turning into Dutch.
Came over in one ship (Mayflower),
A good relationship with Native Americans and traded food for furs.
Mayflower Compact -- All men participate in majority rule. Had town meetings to discuss issues.
Eventually moved from communal property to individual properties. Food then became abundant.
PURITANS --
Many came to America,
Upper middle class, educated,
Wanted to 'purify' the Church of England (not separate from it, like the Pilgrims),
Came over in multiple ships (some were on the Mayflower),
A poor relationship with Native Americans; Puritans thought they should be killed.
Only Puritan ministers could make rules, based on the Bible.
Strict rules and harsh punishments.
This story of the Mayflower is an adventure tale with lots of high drama. The reader gets a strong sense of the terrible danger, appalling smells, and woeful preparation the Puritans had for the trouble they experienced. And that is before we ever get to the Mayflower Compact. There was one death and one near-death on the trip (John Howland's story is an incredible adventure).
By the time the Mayflower landed, there were 102 people on board (one died and one was born). Fewer than half were Pilgrims (other spaces had been sold to Puritans and Church of England members). Realizing they needed some form of governance, they agreed to the Mayflower Compact.
That was not the end of their troubles. They got on land just as winter was upon them. Only 45 of the original 102 survived the brutal winter. But with spring, gifts came to the Europeans -- peace with the Native Americans and a teacher (in the form of Tisquantum). This is an engaging story to the end.
