Nonetheless, their investment in the New World opened the door to generations of wealth. The individual pilgrims brought very little physical gold to the region, and what gold they did have was mostly contained in jewelry and keepsakes. The Plymouth colony eventually survived and is regarded as one of the most significant settlements in North American history. And though initial encounters with the surrounding indigenous tribes resulted in the fabled First Thanksgiving, relations quickly reverted to conflict. The Plymouth colony’s first winter was disastrous disease and starvation reduced the colony’s population by two-thirds. Their hopes, however, were ultimately dashed. After witnessing the profitability of the Jamestown colony two decades prior, these financiers expected to see their share of gold once the Plymouth Colony established basic commerce in the vast, unsettled region of contemporary New England. In search of god and goldĪs one historical study noted, the pilgrims did not venture to the new world in hopes of finding wealth but rather to escape the religious persecution that was widespread in Europe.īut the same cannot be said for the wealthy merchants that financed the Mayflower expedition. The official provision list included only the necessities: food, drink, clothing, tools, and weapons. Though many of the pilgrims were quite wealthy, you wouldn’t guess it from what they carried with them. It wasn’t until 2012 that historians uncovered a manuscript that listed the provisions of some of the original Mayflower settlers. For many years, experts theorized what items may have comprised the pilgrims’ belongings. Little information exists about what the pilgrims carried on their rough and dangerous journey. However, settling in the new world meant foregoing their wealthy status in England and committing to a life of the bare essentials. ![]() As members of elite Puritan families in England, some pilgrims held vast estates with profitable farmland. When the first Mayflower expedition set off for the New World in 1620, travelers included wealthy pilgrims. It was established in the 17th century by English colonists, some of whom later became known as Pilgrims. There, Squanto spent several years largely as a prisoner trained to serve as an interpreter between Europeans and Native Americans.Plimoth Plantation is a living museum in Plymouth, Massachusetts that shows the original settlement of the Plymouth Colony. They Made Squanto Do All The Workīefore the Pilgrims arrived, the now well-known Native American Squanto was abducted by an English explorer who took him from America to Europe against his will. Of those 53, only four of them were women 13 of the 18 adult women who traveled to America with the Pilgrims died in the first winter, and the 14th died the following May. Thus, only 53 Pilgrims were alive to enjoy the harvest feast that Americans celebrate today with beer, football, and turkey. By “The First Thanksgiving” in 1621, seven more had joined the departed. ![]() ![]() The Pilgrims’ Poor Planning Led To Many Deathsĭue to their exceedingly bad planning, 45 out of 102 Pilgrims died from starvation and sickness during the building of Plymouth. The group first sought to restore the local church, but when clerical action was taken upon its membership, they chose to separate from the church entirely. They were part of what had become an underground Christian movement. Women, children and the sick stayed on board the Mayflower, a cargo ship not at all outfitted to house people long-term, for a full six months. In 1608, a group of young creatives left northern England for Amsterdam. ![]() Thus, the majority of the Pilgrims spent the first winter stuck on the Mayflower under miserable conditions. However, the first ship’s crew sabotaged their own vessel in order to get out of making the arduous journey.īecause of that, the other ship was delayed in leaving England, giving the Pilgrims inadequate time to build residences before winter. For starters, there were originally two ships set to sail, each carrying essential supplies. As a result, a lot of people died.Īnd this wasn’t merely due to harsh conditions in the New World, but also due to sabotage and inexcusably poor planning. The Pilgrims only built seven of the 19 planned residences during the first winter.
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