VHS+History+Lesson+5+The+Pilgrim's+Journey

People moved to America for many reasons. One reason was to have religious freedom.



In the 1600s, everyone in England had to go to the Church of England. They were forced to pay taxes to support this church. So people did not like this rule. These people moved to places where they could choose their own religion.



One group of people who left England was the Pilgrims. They first moved to the Netherlands but where not happy there either. So the Pilgrims decided to go to America. Their leaders got permission from England to start a colony in Virginia.



In 1620, the Pilgrims sailed from England to America in their ship called the Mayflower. It was a hard journey that took over two months. The weather was stormy, and the seas were rough. Many people got seasick. Two people even died while sailing to America.



The Mayflower landed in Massachusetts. This was not where the Pilgrims had planned to go. However, it was too late in the year to sail to Virginia. The weather was getting cold and the supplies were running low. The Pilgrims decided to stay in Massachusetts. They started a colony there and named it Plymouth.



Before the Pilgrims got off the ship, all the men signed a paper called the Mayflower Compact. The Mayflower Compact said that the people of Plymouth would start a new government and that the colonists had to follow the rules of the new government.



Life turned out to be hard in the new colony. Half the Pilgrims died in the first few months from sickness or starvation. Luckily, some Native Americans who lived nearby helped the Pilgrims by showing them how to farm and hunt for food.



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