1620 American History

in 1620, a tiny ship battled the waves. It was the Mayflower. One ship that had huge historical significance. The Mayflower was a very small ship, that was crammed with pilgrims, most of which were wet and/or seasick. As they were sailing on October 1st a cry went up, “Man overboard! Man overboard!” everyone rushed to get on deck. There, hanging from a rope he had grabbed on the way down, was John Howland, “Help!” He cried. Suddenly he felt something snag at his clothes, and was hoisted up into the ship by a long boat hook. We get this historical account from one of the pilgrim’s journals. One of the historians decided to figure out which Mayflower was the Mayflower that carried the pilgrims across the Atlantic, and figured that it was the Mayflower owned by Christopher Jones. It is 102′ long and 25′ wide at its widest point. On top was the deck. Lower down was the gun deck, where the pilgrims lived while crossing the Atlantic. Below that was the cargo hold. There was 102 pilgrims aboard in 1620 when they left Plymouth England, and one of the hardest decisions for the pilgrims to make was to choose which one should be the leader. The one they chose was William Brewster. The pilgrims actually had two ships, the other being the speedwell, but it sprang a leak and had to turn back. Finally they set foot on land. It was bitterly cold and there was already snow on ground. It was surprising they survived their first two winters. They were not the first to settle in North America, so why do they dominate history?
-by Caleb