USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Why Did the Pilgrims Come to America? The pilgrims came to America in search of religious freedom. At the time, England required its citizens to belong to the Church of England. People wanted to practice their religious beliefs freely, and so many fled to the Netherlands, where laws were more flexible.

Detailed explanation-2: -Thirty-five of the Pilgrims were members of the radical English Separatist Church, who traveled to America to escape the jurisdiction of the Church of England, which they found corrupt. Ten years earlier, English persecution had led a group of Separatists to flee to Holland in search of religious freedom.

Detailed explanation-3: -Before ever setting foot in North America, the Pilgrims spent several years living in Holland. Led by William Brewster and John Robinson, the group initially fled to Amsterdam in 1608 to escape religious persecution for holding clandestine services that were not sanctioned by the Church of England.

Detailed explanation-4: -Contents. Some 100 people, many of them seeking religious freedom in the New World, set sail from England on the Mayflower in September 1620. That November, the ship landed on the shores of Cape Cod, in present-day Massachusetts.

Detailed explanation-5: -Plymouth Colony After arriving in America, the Pilgrims searched the coast of New England for a good place to build a settlement. They eventually found a location called Plymouth. It had a calm harbor for their ship, a river for fresh water, and flat lands where they could plant crops.