The Pilgrims

by Sam Fitzgerald

Cast from their home country by religious intolerance, the Pilgrims' harrowing voyage to the New World was filled with hardships. But through it all they persisted, motivated by the promise of a better life in which they could gather and worship God in their own ways. A collection of ragtag ships carried them across the ocean, among them The Mayflower. Crammed into the ship's hull, 102 people made this most famous pilgrimage. Besieged by illness and Indians and, many of them believed, witches, the Pilgrims eventually flourished, building up colonies and establishing their own rules for the practice of religion. Here is their dramatic story.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

114 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 3, 2014

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pilgrims - a secular interpretation

Although I belong to a strict reformed tradition, I found the insights valuable. While the pilgrims / Puritans certainly must take the blame for some merciless treatment not only of the Indians (who were also not innocent),but of their fellow Europeans, the Quakers, the rich heritage they left for freedoms in America cannot be ignored. It would have bolstered the case made in the last pages if a reference had been made to Jonathan Edwards, who followed decades later. The heritage was undoubtedly Puritan. Of course the Salem witch trials definitely signified a watershed between antiquated superstitions and the newly developing rule of law. However, together with constitutional democracy and the separation of powers, America owes a great debt to Samuel Rutherford, also a product of the Reformation. While we are currently witnessing the excesses of secular humanism and the rejection of aforementioned freedoms that were brought to America, we must remember that absolute power corrupts absolutely, and the tendencies amongst the more radical elements amongst the Puritans were fortunately stemmed.

[Bill Hopkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very brief and shallow, like a Cliff's Notes. However I learned quite a bit anyway. You can read this in a couple hours and get a quick briefing on the subject and maybe see where you want to go after that. Also serves as a refresher since you will probably remember some of this from classes you've taken.

[marvin shults · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Pilgrims

This was a very interesting account of the beginning of the Northeastern part of the U. S. At times it was difficult to follow. The different religious groups weren't well explained in my opinion. It was worth reading but left me with more questions.

[LeAnne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intolerance reigned

Pilgrims escaping intolerance years later find themselves displaying the same intolerance toward others. Those first hundred years in the New World brought death and hardships like they never could have imagined.

[Jim Swike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well-done and well-researched book about the Pilgrims journey to America and how they settled, survived and eventually prospered. A great read and great resource. Enjoy!

[Lance A Gee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and inspiring

Good read, easy. A must to understand thanksgiving. Every American should understand our roots and history. To think that God had a plan.

[Glenn Lygrisse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but biased

While this book contains much history that is helpful, it also carries some bias and loses some integrity. But still a good read.

[Donna Peake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Since this is the 400th Anniversary on the Pilgrims landing I have decided to read a number of books on this subject. This is a great book for reference and has a lot of things we learned about in school.

I found it fascinating that something people ate had LSD in it and that could be one of the reasons the people who were accused of witchcraft might have been convicted. Never heard that told in school. That was a dark period in American History.