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Blazing a trail...
When the 102 passengers on board the Mayflower stepped off their
battered ship and onto American soil, they could hardly have imagined
what they'd started.
These were the founding fathers - the so-called Pilgrims - who had
left Plymouth, Devon, in September 1620, to start a new life in
the New World.
They landed on the coast of Massachusetts on 21st December, 1620
at a spot now called Plymouth Rock, and in a town which is also
named after the Devon port from where they set sail.
Now, 382 years on, the people of Plymouth, Mass, USA, are proud
of their history and heritage...and it shows.
So where is it exactly?
The town of Plymouth, Massachusetts, is 34 miles south-east of Boston,
on the east coast of America.
The stone which the Pilgrims were believed to have first set foot
on is now known as Plymouth Rock, and is still on display in the
town today.
The
Plymouth Pilgrims were separatist puritans, who had broken away
from the Church of England. To escape religious persecution, many
had been living in Holland for 10 years.
Thirty-seven of the separatists from Holland decided to sail, along
with 65 other passengers, to the New World.
They set off from Southampton in two ships; the Speedwell and the
Mayflower, in August 1620.
They were forced back twice due to leaks in the Speedwell but eventually
sailed from Plymouth on 16th September, 1620 in just one ship -
the Mayflower.
The Mayflower was a 12-year-old, 180-ton vessel, which had previously
been used in the wine trade.
She
encountered heavy storms on the voyage, which caused serious damage
to the ship and it took 65 days to cross the Atlantic.
During
the voyage, two passengers died and two others were born - Oceanus
Hopkins and Peregrine White.
The passengers dropped anchor in the bay for a month, before finally
landing.
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