by Denise Calaman

Created on: November 02, 2009   Last Updated: October 15, 2010

The Pilgrims began their now famous journey, departing from Southampton, England on September 16, 1620. The 66 day voyage proved to be a rough voyage for the 102 passengers and crew crammed into the 100 foot long cargo ship. Pilgrim governor William Bradford was quoted as saying about the voyage, "The dangers were great, but not desperate; the difficulties were many, but not invincible . . . their ends were good and honorable . . . and therefore we might expect the blessing of God." Like many other immigrants who left their homelands in search of a better life the Pilgrims' story is one of courage, determination and faith.

When the Pilgrims left England in 1620 it wasn't the first time. They left their native England in 1607 to escape religious persecution. The Pilgrims were called "Separatists" because they separated from the Church of England. The Church of England and the English government were one in the same during this time and the Separatists, or Pilgrims, viewed the government as being "too Catholic" in their beliefs and in their laws.

The Pilgrims immigrated to Leiden, Holland in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands, the Pilgrims were allowed to worship how they wanted without persecution. They worked as craftsmen and traders for almost 10 years before the threat of war and low wages forced them to leave their adopted homeland and return to England.  After leaving England for the second time aboard the Mayflower the Pilgrims aimed to settle in Virginia hoping to join the Jamestown Colony that was originally settled in May 1607. However, it wasn't until they saw the shores of Cape Cod, Massachusetts that they realized that they were way off course. They had no choice but to land at nearby Plymouth. Their supplies were running low and the Mayflower was in need of repairs.

They landed in Massachusetts in November of 1620. It was an unusually cold November and the Pilgrims were fast running out of essential supplies. That first winter was particularly hard and took a toll on the Pilgrim Colony. The Pilgrims had very little food and inadequate shelter. Forty two settlers died that first winter.

Just when their situation was at its bleakest in March of 1621 a Native American named Squanto befriended the Pilgrims and taught them how to build adequate shelter, plant and harvest native crops and he served as an interpreter for the Pilgrims when they wanted to barter and trade with Native Americans who lived in the area. The harvest of 1621 was the Pilgrims' first harvest in the New World and it was a huge success. In keeping with English tradition of the time, the Pilgrims hosted a huge feast and invited the native Wampanoag tribe to join them in celebrating their successful harvest. That first Pilgrim feast of November 1621 is the foundation of the modern American Thanksgiving holiday. However, it wasn't until 1863 that president Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November to be recognized as a national holiday.

The Pilgrim story only begins with the landing of the Mayflower in 1620. A second boatload of Pilgrims sailed from Holland on a boat named "The Fortune" and landed in Plymouth in 1621, and two boats, "Anne" and "Little James" landed in 1623. It took over 10 years for all of the English Pilgrims to emigrate from their homeland. The Pilgrims' story is remarkable because the Pilgrims left their homeland during a time when overseas exploration was in its infancy. Overseas journeys were long and often dangerous. Studying the sailing conditions of this time period shows us exactly how faithful and courageous the Pilgrims were and how much they wanted a life of freedom.

Learn more about this author, Denise Calaman.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.