The Pilgrims, after having illegally broken away from the Anglican Church of England and struggling to find a suitable place to settle in the Netherlands, joined a London Stock Company who agreed to finance their journey to the New World. The Mayflower and its companion ship, the Speedwell, set sail for the Hudson River which was believed to be part of the Virginia Colony at the time. The Speedwell struggled to make the journey as was forced to return to London shortly after beginning the voyage.
During the voyage, the Mayflower encountered rough seas and storms which blew it off course. At the end of the voyage, the Mayflower finally reached the shores of current day Massachusetts, discovering they had landed in unsettled territory, the men on board signed the Mayflower Compact, the first self-governing document in the British Americas. This document was designed to lay out a set of rules and guidelines for the government of the first settlement in New England, the colony of Plymouth Bay. The Pilgrims came for religious freedom for themselves, not religious toleration for all. The followed a set of separatist beliefs which later became the foundation for the Puritan denomination. |
Anne Hutchinson
Women had little power during the colonial era, and speaking out against the Church was reason enough to be exiled. Anne Hutchinson was a deeply religious woman who believed the restrictions by Puritan ministers violated the Bible's idea of predestination. Anne began to speak out against the Puritan ministers and the Church, developing a group of followers. Winthrop and the Church feared that if more people began to follow her, anarchy would ensue. She was charged with heresyand banished from the colony in 1637. She later joined a settlement in the colony of Rhode Island, moved to present day Long Island, NY and was murdered by a group of Native Americans in a raid. |
Roger Williams
Roger Williams was a minister in the Massachusetts Bay colony. He advocated for a separation of Church and state. He also spoke out for complete religious toleration and the toleration and fair treatment of Native Americans. John Winthrop excommunicated Williams from the Massachusetts Bay colony due to his beliefs and his charges against the Puritan Church. He left and purchased a piece of land from the Narragansett Indians founding the colony of Rhode Island. Rhode Island allowed for religious freedom and provided a safe haven for dissenters from all over New England. |
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