The Mayflower was the famous vessel that brought the
Pilgrims (
WHO IN THE WORLD ARE THE PILGRIMS?)
from Plymouth, England, to Plymouth,
Massachusetts.
The year? 1620.
And twice Plymouth.
Coincidence?
Let Eddie Izzard explain:
How Long Was
the Voyage?
The day of departure of the Mayflower was September 16, 1620.
On November 21, 1620, which was 66 days
later, they landed on Cape Cod at what's today Provincetown.
On they went to Plymouth, first a small
exploring party on December 21, and then the rest of it on December 26, 1620. One hundred and two people went ashore with the
intention to settle. The Pilgrims had arrived.
The Mayflower sailed back to England in April
1621.
What Were the Specs of
the Mayflower?
Nobody knows for sure, but it is estimated that the ship was approx 90 feet, or 27 meters, long
and that it weighed approx. 180 tons.
Who All Was on Board?
There was Captain Myles Standish, also spelled Miles
Standish, who led the group in their military endeavors.
There was also William Bradford,
who went on to become the governor of Plymouth for 30 years. He
wrote his famous History of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-1647.
And then there were
Edward Winslow
and Susanna White, who were the first ones to get married in
New England. The date? May 1621.
Originally, it was planned to send two ships
on this voyage, the Mayflower and the Speedwell. They
departed together on August 15, 1620, from Southampton. But the
Speedwell had some technical troubles and had to return to port.
They tried once more, but again, the Speedwell was not fit enough for the long journey and
had to return.
The Mayflower finally took some of the
Speedwell passengers onboard and went alone.
The Mayflower Compact was a written agreement between 41 of
the male passengers on the Mayflower who, all of a sudden, felt a
little lonely approaching the new continent all by themselves.
It was signed on chicken night, November 21, 1620, and,
in a nutshell, was an agreement that the men would stick
together no matter what.
The Old Style date of the signing of the
Mayflower Compact is November 11, 1620. That means November 21,
1620, New Style.
We whose names
are underwritten, the loyal subjects of our
dread sovereign Lord, King James, by the
grace of God, of Great Britain, France and
Ireland king, defender of the faith, etc.,
having undertaken, for the glory of God, and
advancement of the Christian faith, and
honor of our king and country, a voyage to
plant the first colony in the Northern parts
of Virginia, do by these presents solemnly
and mutually in the presence of God, and one
of another, covenant and combine ourselves
together into a civil body politic, for our
better ordering and preservation and
furtherance of the ends aforesaid; and by
virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and
frame such just and equal laws, ordinances,
acts, constitutions, and offices, from time
to time, as shall be thought most meet and
convenient for the general good of the
colony, unto which we promise all due
submission and obedience.
In witness
whereof we have hereunder subscribed our
names at Cape-Cod the 11 of November, in the
year of the reign of our sovereign lord,
King James, of England, France, and Ireland
the eighteenth, and of
Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domine 1620.
Can It Be Done Again?
In 1957 it has been done again.
Some people created a replica of the Mayflower, the
Mayflower II, and embarked on almost exactly the same voyage
minus the set of emotions that went with the
first vessel, of course.
Mayflower II only needed 53 days for the trip.
Commemorating the
Landing of the Mayflower
The Landing of the Mayflower has been
commemorated many times since.
In 1820, on one of such an occasion, Daniel Webster delivered his famous
Plymouth Oration.
Read all about the Mayflower online and free, featured via
Project Gutenberg:
The May-Flower and Her Log by
Azel Ames, published in 1907.
Greco-Persian Wars
Also called the
Persian Wars, the Greco-Persian Wars were
fought for almost half a century from 492 to
449 BC. Greece won against enormous odds. Here
is more:
