Mayflower (ship)

In 1620, the Mayflower brought 102 passengers from England and Holland to what is now Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The group included people seeking religious freedom. This voyage is one of the most famous in early American history.

Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor by William Halsall, 1882

The Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower intended to sail to the Virginia Colony. They landed instead on Cape Cod and formed the Plymouth Colony.^[1]

Voyage

The Mayflower left England with the ship Speedwell on 15 August 1620, carrying Pilgrims from England and Holland. However, the Speedwell turned out to be unseaworthy. Both ships were twice forced to return to England.

The Mayflower finally left Plymouth, England on 16 September 1620. On 19 November 1620 they spotted land. However, because of storms and navigation problems, they were much farther north than they intended. On 21 November 1620 they landed on Cape Cod.

The passengers lived on the ship for a few months. They went ashore to build shelters during the day, then returned to the ship at night. During the winter of 1620-1621, about half of the passengers died. By March 1621, there were enough shelters for everyone to live on land.

Mayflower Compact

See the main article: Mayflower Compact

While still aboard the Mayflower, the Pilgrims wrote a set of rules about how they would live and treat each other.^[2][3] This is an important document in American history. It includes democratic ideals, and it designed a framework for the first government in what is now the United States.^[4]

Related pages

• Mayflower passenger list