Why Did the Pilgrims Come to America?

The Pilgrims came to America to find a land where they could be free to practice any religion they wanted. Religious freedom is one of the most cherished rights that our Constitution promises us as Americans. Not all countries around the globe allow their citizens to worship as they please and pray to whomever they choose.

The Pilgrims came to America to avoid the religious rules imposed by England. In England, there were groups of people that didn’t believe that the way the Church of England worshipped God was right. Instead, they had their own beliefs. The Pilgrims were among these groups. The Pilgrims were Calvinist Protestants. They followed the teachings of John Calvin on how to worship God. John Calvin was one of the main people involved in the Reformation.

The pilgrims had petitioned the King to allow them to form their own church. The King denied the pilgrim's request. The Pilgrims then decided to move to Holland where religious freedom was practiced and where they would be allowed to worship God as they saw fit. They lived in Holland until 1620, when they became dissatisfied with their situation and the effects that living in Holland was having on their children. In 1620, the Pilgrims moved back to England and prepared to leave for the New World.

Religion in England

By the time the Pilgrims were ready to leave Europe, England had gone through its own period of reformation. Historically, the Catholic Church, based in Rome, orchestrated the politics of kingdoms and countries. There was no religious tolerance shown to those that did not agree with the official religion of Catholicism. For example, during the Inquisition, the church demonstrated severe religious persecution. 

Two major events occurred during this period that caused a fracturing of the Church structure into Catholics and Protestants.

• The reformation was the first major event that formed a split between the church in Rome and the section of believers that did not agree with the church’s authority or the way they exercised that authority.
• The second event was a split between the church in Rome and the church in England. England split from Rome when the Pope would not allow King Henry VIII  to divorce his wife. The King formed his own church, called the Church of England. The Church of England was then made the official church and religion.

Pilgrims' Journey

Despite the lack of funds for the Pilgrims to make the journey to the New World, they were able to take out a loan to pay for the passage and supplies. They agreed to pay back the loan by supplying furs and other goods from the New World for a period of five years. By going to the New World, the Pilgrims believed they would be able to have the freedom to practice their religion as they saw fit without the interference of the King.

The journey was an arduous one and took over two months in the cold weather of autumn. The Pilgrims were originally destined for the area of Virginia but an error in course landed them in New England. They made landfall in the Cape Cod area and could not continue on to Virginia due to the approach of bad weather and winter storms.

Settlement

They moved the ship further down the coast and made anchor in a bay near Plymouth. The company of settlers had lost only one person during the crossing. They immediately set about building a small village to hold out the winter and wait for the spring. The cold and small amount of provisions that they had served to weaken the settlers and more than half of them died that first winter. As the weather started to warm and spring approached, they were able to improve their shelter and begin to replenish their supplies by hunting. Early in the spring, a Native American visited them. He walked into their village and greeted them in English.

The Indian, Squanto, taught them to hunt, fish and forage for food in the forests. He also showed them how to plant their crops in order to obtain greater yields during harvest. He helped them to understand the plant life in the area by instructing them on which plants were poisonous and which were good medicinally. Throughout the spring and summer, his knowledge helped them learn to provide for themselves.