What difficulties did the Pilgrims face?

What difficulties did the Pilgrims face?

They were probably suffering from scurvy and pneumonia caused by a lack of shelter in the cold, wet weather. Although the Pilgrims were not starving, their sea-diet was very high in salt, which weakened their bodies on the long journey and during that first winter.

What were the reasons why the Pilgrims started a colony in the New World and what were their interactions with natives?

Due to economic difficulties, as well as fears that they would lose their English language and heritage, they began to make plans to settle in the New World. Their intended destination was a region near the Hudson River, which at the time was thought to be part of the already established colony of Virginia.

What reason does the document give for forming a civil body politic?

The rest of the Mayflower Compact is very short. It simply bound the signers into a “Civil Body Politic” for the purpose of passing “just and equal Laws . . . for the general good of the Colony.” But those few words expressed the idea of self-government for the first time in the New World.

What action were they undertaking with the Mayflower Compact?

What action were they undertaking with this document? This was the first time that Europeans planned to make their own laws and govern themselves in the new world. Why did they write this document? They wrote the document to establish a civil society and maintain order in their colony.

What was the 1st Thanksgiving?

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Native Americans shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states.

What did the Puritans do to the Natives?

The natives found Puritan conversion practices coercive and culturally insensitive. Accepting Christianity usually involved giving up their language, severing kinship ties with other Natives who had not been saved, and abandoning their traditional homes.

What does civil body politic refer to?

A “civil body politic” is a group of citizens acting together as a law making body.

What two groups comprised the passengers on the Mayflower?

There were 102 passengers on the Mayflower. Only 41 of them were Separatists. The passengers were split into two groups – the Separatists (Pilgrims) and the rest of the passengers, who were called “strangers” by the Pilgrims. The two groups are referred to as the “Strangers” and the “Saints”.

What is the Mayflower Compact and why is it important?

The Mayflower Compact was important because it was the first document to establish self-government in the New World. It remained active until 1691 when Plymouth Colony became part of Massachusetts Bay Colony.