MAYFLOWER VOYAGE - PLYMOUTH TO PLYMOUTH
After a memorable and educative tour to Concord and Lexington Greens –the birthplace of American Independence, my vision expanded beyond the horizon and out of curiosity enquired from my son- in- law ,as to how the colonists made inroad to the new world and the cultural, entrepreneurial encounters and events ensued; planted the seeds of a new vibrant nation called America. Perhaps, the wheel of time has been resting since the time; civilized man put his feet on the iconic “Plymouth Rock” in the winter month of November 1620. The celebrated English poet Ralf Hudson in his poem, ”Time You Old Gipsy Man” has rightly composed, ‘Time never stays ,it always runs and runs .Babylon to Rome ,Rome to London .’ Perhaps the nomad Time , has sailed on board the epoch- making ship Mayflower from Plymouth port in England to the new world to a port yet to be born and named after the original Plymouth port.
During our discussion about the incursion of European colonists into the new world ,yet unknown to the old world, discovered by Christopher Columbus an Italian explorer ,navigator and colonist under the auspices of the Catholic Monarch of Spain ,queen Isabella -I , whose objective was to sail west until he reached India where the riches of gold ,pearls and spices awaited, but he accidentally stumble upon America in 1492 AD. Christopher Columbus gave the name indios (Indians) to the indigenous peoples he encountered .Columbus’s expedition ,conquest, and colonization that lasted for centuries ,helping create the modern western world. The transfers between old world and new world that followed his first voyage are known as the Colombian Exchange .Highly motivated by the discussion and Seeing my keenness to garner knowledge by delving deep in to the root of American history, my enthusiastic son –in- law, proposed a long drive of 593 miles(949km) to James Town settlement colony in the state of Virginia. Though, I evinced keen interest to visit the first settlement colony at James Town , but for the long distance and number of days involved did not encourage me for a long drive at an astounding speed of 85 miles (136 km) per hour .
At this, my son –in- law proposed to visit the settlement colony at Plymouth, in Massachusetts, barely 50 miles from our Foxboro residence .Then he fixed 11th November falling on next Saturday coinciding with the historic landing date of Pilgrims on Plymouth rock. we drove South –East on I-495-S route 50 miles from Foxboro to Plymouth in Cape Cod on the north Atlantic coast in the state of Massachusetts to confront with the hoary past spanning from the arrival of pilgrims in the iconic Mayflower ship. At Plymouth, enquired from the tourist centre about the Mayflower ship. The tourist help desk assistant provided a guide map and informed that the original ship has been dispatched for refurbishment to Harwich in England for 400th anniversary celebration slated to be held next year 2020. The Harwich Mayflower Heritage Centre has taken up the job to refurbish the original ship for a grand celebration to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the arrival of settlers at Plymouth .We were given to understand that the James Town settlement colony has already celebrated, 400th year of arrival of first batch of British settlers, 12 years ago, in the year 2007 graced by the royal presence of Queen Elizabeth in a grand manner. Acting on the information, that a special commemorative function is being organized today the 11th Nov. in the Pilgrim Hall Museum to mark the historic landing of pilgrims ,we proceeded first to the Pilgrim Hall which was near by the tourist information centre and participated in the events beginning with cake cutting to screening of a documentary film on the historic voyage of Mayflower ship and subsequent events ensued the colonization and the confrontation and rapprochement of a peace treaty between the Wampanoag Indian chieftain Massasoit and captain William Bradford.
Plymouth is a coastal town 40.5 miles, south of Boston. It is the historic site of the pilgrim settlement Colony founded in 1620 ,which in subsequent years spread to entire New England settlement colonies encompassing –Massachusetts ,Rhode Island ,Connecticut, New Hampshire , Vermont and Maine ;with the influx of colonists .
A group of religious dissidents who believed in Calvinism - a religious belief in sovereignty of God in all areas of life as propagated by John Calvin, a French theologian and ecclesial statesman thinker, felt it necessary to separate from the church of England. Persecuted in England, they moved to Holland in 1607-08 and waited for an opportunity to move to the new world seeking a fortune in an alien and unknown new world far from the civilized world. They joined with other colonists recruited by the venture’s financial backers, began to move to America on 6th September 1620 in the historic ship Mayflower from British port of Plymouth with 102 passengers and 30 crews on board as mentioned in the journal kept by the captain of the iconic ship William Bradford .The epoch making voyage covered a distance of 3340 miles(5344 km) in 66 days in its trip across the turbulent Atlantic ocean , but with a prosperous wind as mentioned by the captain of the ship .
The ship anchored at Provincetown harbor in Cape Cod bay on 9.11.1620. As the area was covered with snow, the passengers continued to remain in the ship, along with their pets, goats and cows fraught with lots of untold misery. They intended to go to James Town settlement colony ,their original destination, but due to winter ordeals ,they finally disembarked at Plymouth on 21.3.1621,only with half of the passengers and crews ,other half meanwhile had perished due to diseases and fatigue and sufferings .The plights and ordeals of the pilgrims are vividly depicted in the letters and journals of captain William Bradford who was the guiding force of the settlers and later the governor of the Plymouth colony. The original inhabitants, the Wampanoag Indian community were inhabiting the area surrounding the cape cod bay with Massasoit their chieftain .Though suspicious initially about intruders activities ,he rendered little bit assistance to the settlers .He was not inimical to the settlers, rather proved to be a benevolent patron of the settlers after entering into a treaty .After harvest of crops in 1621 the pilgrim settlers and Wampanoag Indians celebrated thanks giving for the first time .The Red Indian chieftain presented a Turkey (wild hen)as a gift to the settlers. Only in the year 1863 in the thick of civil war (1861-1865), Abraham Lincoln started the tradition of annual thanks giving to commemorate the occasion.
We strolled around the city of Plymouth visiting historically important places such as the Plymouth Rock gallery, the replica of Mayflower ship anchored at the jetty of Plymouth port and Pilgrims Memorial Park. We took a round in the beautiful memorial park on a hillock near the beach, just opposite the Plymouth Rock gallery across the road, dominated by the majestic statue of Wampanoag chief Massasoit; standing in the middle on a high granite pedestal engraved with golden letters - the immortal saga of the Mayflower voyage and the contribution of the benevolent chieftain. There was a big black granite plaque enumerating the names of the pilgrims who sailed to the new world in the Mayflower ship in 1620. As a mark of gratitude the settlers named the state as Massachusetts after the benevolent Wampanoag chieftain Massasoit. The iconic ship Mayflower has since been occupying an unique place in American history as a symbol of British colonization and American civilization.
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