Year

1620

5 sourced events from this year.

Events

1620 Timeline

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1620

Exploration 17th Century Europe

Pilgrims Depart England Aboard the Mayflower

Religious dissenters known as Separatists, seeking freedom from the Church of England, had first fled to the Netherlands before deciding to establish a colony in the New World under a patent from the Virginia Company. Joined by other English passengers, they boarded the Mayflower in Plymouth, England, after delays caused by a leaking companion ship. The vessel finally set sail on September 6, 1620, carrying 102 passengers and a crew of roughly 30 on a 106-foot ship bound for Virginia. Storms battered the ship during the two-month crossing, testing the resolve of the travelers who endured cramped conditions and the death of one passenger. Their arrival off Cape Cod in November led to the founding of Plymouth Colony, one of...

Event Detail

1620

Exploration 17th Century North America

Mayflower Departs England for the New World

In the early seventeenth century, religious Separatists in England faced ongoing persecution for refusing to conform to the Church of England. Seeking a place to worship freely, a group obtained a land patent from the Virginia Company and secured the ship Mayflower for passage across the Atlantic. On September 16, 1620, the vessel sailed from Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers and a crew of about thirty. The journey proved difficult, marked by storms, illness, and cramped conditions aboard the small ship. After more than two months at sea, the Mayflower reached Cape Cod in November, where the passengers eventually established the Plymouth Colony following the signing of the Mayflower Compact.

Event Detail America 250 Atlas

1620

Exploration 17th Century North America

Mayflower Pilgrims Sight Land at Cape Cod

After more than two months at sea aboard the Mayflower, a group of English Separatists known as Pilgrims sought religious freedom in the New World, having secured a patent for settlement in the Colony of Virginia. Harsh weather and strong currents prevented them from reaching their intended destination farther south near the Hudson River. On November 9, 1620, the crew sighted the sandy shores of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, bringing relief after a grueling Atlantic crossing that had already claimed lives and strained supplies. The sighting prompted immediate efforts to navigate south, but dangerous shoals forced a return north to Provincetown Harbor. There the passengers drafted the Mayflower Compact to establish self-governance before any landed. This agreement laid early foundations for...

Event Detail America 250 Atlas

1620

Law 17th Century North America

Pilgrims Sign Mayflower Compact

After a grueling two-month voyage across the Atlantic, the Mayflower anchored in Provincetown Harbor off Cape Cod on November 11, 1620. The passengers, facing the prospect of settling outside their original patent's jurisdiction, drafted and signed a compact aboard the ship. Forty-one adult male passengers, including leaders like William Bradford and John Carver, pledged to form a civil body politic with just and equal laws for the general good of the colony. This agreement established a framework for self-governance among the settlers, who were a mix of religious Separatists and other adventurers seeking economic opportunity. The compact helped maintain order during the first winter's hardships and served as a model for later colonial charters. It reflected the settlers' need for...

Event Detail America 250 Atlas

1620

Exploration 17th Century North America

Mayflower Pilgrims Land at Plymouth Rock

Seeking religious freedom, English Separatists known as Pilgrims sailed across the Atlantic on the Mayflower, arriving off the coast of present-day Massachusetts after a grueling voyage. William Bradford and the group scouted locations before deciding on a site near a large rock formation. On December 21, 1620, they disembarked and began establishing the Plymouth Colony. Harsh conditions, disease, and unfamiliar territory challenged the settlers immediately. Their landing laid the foundation for permanent European settlement in New England.

Event Detail America 250 Atlas