Dbq Pilgrims

In the seventeenth century, the Pilgrims left England to head for the “new world” we know today as the Americas with the hopes of finding a place independent of King James and England. In traveling across the vast Atlantic Ocean to live independently the Pilgrims were given the task of creating a successful society. They sought a place to express their religion freely and independent from the restrictions in England. They aspired to make this society succeed in several crucial areas. They pursued strong protection and in very unfamiliar territory in order to keep their people safe and happy. They desired peace whenever possible with surrounding people that they happened to share the land with. The pilgrims were successful in fulfilling

They were puritans who were constrained by English laws and customs and sought a new place to freely practice religion how they wanted. With no King James there in America to restrict them, the colonists were free to do this. Church was the most revered part of society there in Plymouth. “The important thing was their spiritual life,” and they continued to keep close ties with their minister in Leiden John Robinson until his death. After his death “a profound sense of sadness settled over the Plymouth church.”. Religion was a crucial aspiration for the Puritan Pilgrims in coming to the new world, and when they got there were many opportunities for free practice of their

The pilgrims aspired to have this and were able to make it happen through several strong defense tactics. One of the earlier defensive ideas was to bring in almost half a dozen “great guns” or cannons. These cannons were “capable of hurling iron balls as big as three and a half inches in diameter as far as 1,700 yards”. Plymouth was obviously in need of some strong leaders, especially in the military field, so to enforce the protection in Plymouth and head the military “Miles Standish was officially designated [Plymouth’s] captain”. Standish led several missions and raids and served as a distinguished Indian fighter and negotiator. Further down the road more defensive installments were added: Standish and William Bradford facilitated the making of “a massive, sap-dripping, bark-peeling boundary between [the pilgrims] and the surrounding forest” with a wall. They then built a fort that could hold all of Plymouth in case of emergency. In coming to a new and unknown land there was bound to be danger, and having only 102 people, the Pilgrims couldn’t afford to lose men because of weak defense. They worked hard to make the defense in Plymouth sufficient and they were able to “discourage future Indian threat,” and lost few men to the native tribes in the first few years. The people of Plymouth had faith in their colony, and were loyal in times of struggle. “When the Mayflower sailed