by Ramona Taylor

Created on: November 03, 2009   Last Updated: November 04, 2009

At daybreak on November 19, 1620, the Mayflower passed the headland of Cape Cod and was in peril. The shoals were dangerous and the ship was forced to turn northward. Finding a favorable wind, the Mayflower and her human cargo enter the protected waters of the Cape Cod Bay and stared out onto land. After 66 hard days at sea and winter approaching, the faithful English Separatists and their companions braced for the winter of 1620.

The first winter for the Plymouth Colony was filled with loss and longing. More than half of the 102 Pilgrims that arrived on the Mayflower. Food was scarce. Hunger and disease plagued and weakened the people. Cold and harsh conditions wore down morale. Prospects for the new colony were weak. The actions of smart men and the sacrifice of brave women contributed to the survival of the Pilgrims.

The Social Contract

The Pilgrims knew this principle to be true. English Separatists were not the only passengers on the Mayflower. These "strangers" had different motivations and hopes for life in the New World. Concerned about discord when they set foot on land, the Separatist leaders and other men on board called council and worked out an agrement of how each man should govern himself moving forward. The agreement would set up a temporary government and rules until guidance came from England arrived. This accord was called the Mayflower Compact. The document served as a written promise of the men present to each other and to God for the sake of the survival of the new colony.

In the absence of the Compact, allegiances and community would have been lost in the need and instinct for survival. After the 41 men signed the Compact, a leader was elected and under this leader authority was given for the organization and establishment of the colony. Through this leadership, a plan was developed for establishing their settlement in the wake of an untested winter.

A Place to Rest

For unfamiliar newcomers, the weather conditions were inhospitable. The ground was hard, frozen and covered in snow. The wind was blustery and there was a hgreat deal of rain. For a ship full of people, very sick people and low on food, the conditions were harsh.

While the sick were being cared, able bodied men, such as William Bradford, braved the conditions to scout the New World. Luckily, the Pilgrims were no the first European to wander these lands. Men such as Captain John Smith of Jamestown fame and explorer Samuel de Champlian had arrived more than a decade prior. Champlian

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