Who Were the Pilgrims Who Wanted to Sever All Ties with the Church of England?
The group commonly called "the Pilgrims" were Separatists — a radical wing of the Puritan movement who concluded the Church of England was irreformable and must be abandoned entirely.
Separatists vs. Puritans: The Critical Distinction
| Aspect |
Puritans (Non-Separating) |
Separatists (Pilgrims) |
| Goal |
Purify the Church of England from within |
Separate from the Church of England entirely |
| View of C of E |
True church, but corrupted |
False church (anti-Christ); no valid sacraments |
| Strategy |
Reform via Parliament, preaching, pressure |
Form independent "gathered churches" (covenants) |
| Legal Status in England |
Tolerated (mostly), some persecuted |
Illegal (Act of Uniformity 1559, Conventicle Acts) |
| Key Leaders |
John Winthrop, Thomas Hooker, John Cotton |
John Robinson, William Brewster, William Bradford |
| Migration |
Great Migration 1630s → Massachusetts Bay |
1608 → Leiden, NL; 1620 → Plymouth (Mayflower) |
The Pilgrims' Path
- Scrooby, Nottinghamshire (c.1606): Separatist congregation forms under Richard Clyfton, John Robinson.
- Flight to Amsterdam (1608): Religious freedom; join other English exiles (Ancient Brethren).
- Move to Leiden (1609): 12 years. Work in textile, printing. Religious freedom but economic hardship, cultural assimilation fears, looming war (Thirty Years' War).
- Mayflower Voyage (1620): 102 passengers (~50 Separatists "Saints", ~50 "Strangers" recruited by merchants). 66 days.
- Plymouth Colony: Mayflower Compact (civil covenant). Half die first winter. Wampanoag alliance. First Thanksgiving 1621.
Why "Pilgrims"?
- Bradford (Of Plymouth Plantation) cites Hebrews 11:13: "strangers and pilgrims on the earth."
- Term popularized 1798 (Forefathers' Day) → 1820 (Daniel Webster oration) → national myth.
Legacy
- Religious Freedom: Separatist conviction → Rhode Island (Roger Williams), Pennsylvania (Penn), First Amendment.
- Self-Government: Mayflower Compact → town meeting, written constitution tradition.
- Thanksgiving Myth: 19th-century invention (Sarah Josepha Hale, Lincoln 1863) — not Pilgrim term.
The Pilgrims were Separatists — Puritans who gave up on reform. They risked everything for a church covenanted only to Christ, not Crown. Their little colony became a disproportionate symbol of American origins.
Wanderlust World