William Bradford carefully documented the reasons that his religious sect migrated so far from home in his book Bradford’s History of Plymouth Plantation. The “Pilgrims”, as Bradford named his spiritual peers, eventually traversed the Atlantic motivated by two main factors. Their perceived belief in the failure of the English Reformation was the first factor. The second factor was as a result of the issues that arose when they sought religious freedom in places outside of England. These factors were the driving force behind the idea to seek out the safest place for their people. The Pilgrims wished to locate an unpopulated land, one where they would be able to freely worship. Bradford describes the many difficulties encountered pursuing these
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The Pilgrims were also known as Protestant Separatists, in that while some Protestants believed that the Roman Catholic Church could be reformed, the Separatists believed nothing short of a complete break from Rome would accomplish their objectives. Most Protestant factions, deemed the English Reformation only partially victorious in meeting these two goals. The English monarch, King Henry VIII, chose to break away from Rome’s influence and their religious jurisdiction over Great Britain, primarily for his own personal motives. However, King Henry VIII continued to disregard the Protestant requests to nullify the doctrine, rites, sacraments, or practices they deemed fraudulent. This created vast, and often deadly, religious clashes between the Catholics, the Protestants and every English monarch that succeeded King Henry VIII. The Protestants were upset that so many elements of the Roman Catholic Church had been preserved even after ties to the Roman Catholic Church were cut. With every successive monarch, the official religion became whatever …show more content…
Many storms, illnesses and accidents, befell the passengers and crew. After making it to the American coast, it was apparent that the multitude of storms had blown the Mayflower off course. Although they attempted to return to Virginia, the coastline proved too problematic and they were low on supplies. Because it was already well into the autumn, the decision was made to found their colony at or around Cape Cod. The men, realizing that they did not have a valid charter for land in this area, wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact. Both factions, the Pilgrims and the Strangers, agreed to abide by a majority rule. Since the Mayflower had landed in November, there were unable to quickly secure a safe place to settle, especially after a frightening encounter with a local Indian tribe. Desperately low on food, they began exploring to look for supplies. In an attempt to follow some Indians they had seen, they stumbled across a Native burial ground. They then ransacked it for the food they found, which in turn incited a violent encounter with a local Indian tribe. The Pilgrims then thought it prudent to sail further up the coast to find a more suitable location to settle. Landing safely upon an island in Plymouth Harbor, the Pilgrims conducted a few days of scouting and a suitable location was uncovered. Dwellings immediately began construction, so they might have shelter for the rest of the winter. During “these hard and difficult
The Pilgrims were also known as Protestant Separatists, in that while some Protestants believed that the Roman Catholic Church could be reformed, the Separatists believed nothing short of a complete break from Rome would accomplish their objectives. Most Protestant factions, deemed the English Reformation only partially victorious in meeting these two goals. The English monarch, King Henry VIII, chose to break away from Rome’s influence and their religious jurisdiction over Great Britain, primarily for his own personal motives. However, King Henry VIII continued to disregard the Protestant requests to nullify the doctrine, rites, sacraments, or practices they deemed fraudulent. This created vast, and often deadly, religious clashes between the Catholics, the Protestants and every English monarch that succeeded King Henry VIII. The Protestants were upset that so many elements of the Roman Catholic Church had been preserved even after ties to the Roman Catholic Church were cut. With every successive monarch, the official religion became whatever …show more content…
Many storms, illnesses and accidents, befell the passengers and crew. After making it to the American coast, it was apparent that the multitude of storms had blown the Mayflower off course. Although they attempted to return to Virginia, the coastline proved too problematic and they were low on supplies. Because it was already well into the autumn, the decision was made to found their colony at or around Cape Cod. The men, realizing that they did not have a valid charter for land in this area, wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact. Both factions, the Pilgrims and the Strangers, agreed to abide by a majority rule. Since the Mayflower had landed in November, there were unable to quickly secure a safe place to settle, especially after a frightening encounter with a local Indian tribe. Desperately low on food, they began exploring to look for supplies. In an attempt to follow some Indians they had seen, they stumbled across a Native burial ground. They then ransacked it for the food they found, which in turn incited a violent encounter with a local Indian tribe. The Pilgrims then thought it prudent to sail further up the coast to find a more suitable location to settle. Landing safely upon an island in Plymouth Harbor, the Pilgrims conducted a few days of scouting and a suitable location was uncovered. Dwellings immediately began construction, so they might have shelter for the rest of the winter. During “these hard and difficult