Devout Beginnings

It has often been said that America's success flows naturally from the stout, God-fearing nature of the first settlers. This usually means the Pilgrims, who are fleeing Europe to create a better society, based on God's grace. 

The Pilgrims are a tiny group, alone in the wilderness. Struggling to survive, they quickly abandon notions of a communal society, and begin staking out private plots. Their children later adopt more relaxed religious rules.

Ten years after the Pilgrims, a flood of 'Puritans' arrive in Boston who are also fleeing religious persecution in England. Unlike the Pilgrims, however, they become known for their tolerance of other religious viewpoints.

 
Desperate Pilgrims, 1620

  Desperate Pilgrims
The Pilgrims finally arrive in America in early winter (left). They immediately set about building a small cluster of English-style cottages, using lumber and tools they bring with them. The Pilgrims stay true to their dreams, at least until their children grow up, but strict religious practices fade. Without a profitable export product, Plymouth is never able to pay off its investors.

Plymouth first winter, 1620

  The First Winter
Fewer than half the Mayflower passengers are actually Pilgrims, fleeing religious persecution. The others have economic reasons for wanting to start a new life in America. London has a growing problem of over-crowding, and jobs for young men are hard to find. But there is little to sustain life in Plymouth during the first winter. The view at lower left shows those who survive, and those who don't. Only four adult females make it to spring.


Plymouth main street, 1630

  Plymouth Colony
This is a re-creation of Plymouth in the early years. The houses are simple, small and spare. The roofs are made of bundled straw, while the outside walls are covered with boards split from logs. Interior walls are made of a mud-straw mixture, which is pressed into a simple lattice-like arrangement of woven branches (top right). The result resembles a crude type of plaster (lower right). Cooking fireplaces have chimneys made from wood, but lined with the same mud mixture.