the year was 1620 and a boat of people calling themselves separatists more famously today called the pilgrims landed in present-day massachusetts it's a story we think we all know by heart but it may surprise you to know that your repertoire of knowledge is missing a few key details like the fact that less than half the people on the mayflower were actually pilgrims or that religious freedom wasn't their only motivation for sailing to the new world nevertheless their journey and subsequent riding of the famous mayflower compact has staked a major spot in american history their story is one of hardship and preservation ideals that inspired countless other early settlers and left a significant mark on the minds of the american people [Music] in the years prior to 1620 a group of people had grown increasingly frustrated with the church of england also known as the anglican church these people who began to call themselves separatists because they wanted to separate from the anglican church to worship in their own way began to face religious persecution in england they tried to worship in secret but that was no way to live i know what you're thinking this is when the pilgrims came to america not quite actually they fled to the netherlands hoping to establish a new life there they settled in leed and holland for several years but still weren't happy their main goal was to establish a home where they could live their lives as englishmen and worship their religion in their own way they weren't interested in assimilating to dutch life their children were starting to speak dutch and abandon their english way of life the separatists wanted to have a home of their own [Music] across the atlantic ocean the new world was just what the pilgrims were looking for arranging the trip wasn't easy but on september 6 1620 a boat called the mayflower set sail from plymouth england with 102 passengers who were looking to start a new life only about 40 of them were pilgrims 66 days later they spotted land in present-day cape cod massachusetts and while that is where they eventually set up plymouth colony it isn't where they intended to sail originally they had signed a contract with the famous virginia company to settle north of jamestown and possibly near the hudson river treacherous storms and seas made the journey south too difficult so they turned back and went ashore near cape cod plan a a settlement near the hudson river under the control of the virginia company had failed and plan b a settlement in massachusetts was about to face its first test passengers on the mayflower began to argue amongst themselves about how their new settlement would be governed they had expected to follow the rules of the virginia company but that ship had sailed and the passengers had questions what were the laws who was in charge how would decisions be made thanks to the journal of william bradford a pilgrim leader on board the mayflower who would later become a governor of plymouth colony we know that 41 adult male colonists signed a famous document known as the mayflower compact on november 11 1620. they vowed to solemnly and mutually in the presence of god and one another covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic essentially they promised to remain loyal to king james of england uphold their christian faith and work together to create a self-governing society this means that the adult men agreed to elect their own leaders to govern the colony it didn't mean they were declaring their independence from england that wouldn't happen for another 156 years after signing the mayflower compact they promptly elected john carver to be governor of their new colony the entirety of the mayflower compact was short only about 200 words long but it had a profound impact on history it established self-government for the english and plymouth colony and was a stepping stone to the democratic government that would later be formed in america the decision over governments had been settled but that soon became the least of their problems [Music] the pilgrims had arrived in new england in november and winter would not be kind without a reliable food source in the winter months of the 102 passengers of the mayflower only about 50 survived past that first winter when spring arrived so did a renewed hope for survival thanks to the kindness of members of the wampanoag tribe a man named squanto taught the pilgrims how to grow new crops the tribal chief massasoit signed a treaty with the pilgrims in exchange for food and help the pilgrims agreed to defend the tribe against their enemies in the fall of 1621 the english and wampanoag tribe came together to celebrate a traditional harvest festival in 1863 president lincoln would commemorate the time of gratitude and camaraderie by establishing a national holiday called thanksgiving in 1621 the pilgrims story was far from over and their impact would be felt for generations to come hey everyone thanks for watching don't forget to hit the subscribe button down below and the like button to show some love i'll see you next time in the meantime keep pursuing history [Music] [Music] you