Public Domain Image, "Mayflower at Sea," Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Was it worth leaving Great Britain?
Our project focuses on the concepts of freedom and movement of two groups of people, "the poor," a group leaving Great Britain's debtors' prison, and "the pure," a separatist group in pursuit of religious freedom from the Church of England, to the New World. More specifically relating to those fleeing their home countries in pursuit of various freedoms. For each group a Story Map is provided to highlight the important parts of why they left, their journeys, and their life in the New World. An introduction to each group and why they fled is located below. As for the rest of the site, the titles at the top labeled "the poor" and "the pure" are where the journeys are located. This project will explore these journeys and attempt to answer the question, "Was it worth it?"
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The "Poor"In the 1700's, people in England were imprisoned for the sole reason of being in debt. The conditions of the prisons led to disease and death. In 1732, the English government granted a charter for land in the New World designated to distribute land to those who were so poor in England that they couldn't pay off their debts. This land established the colony of Georgia, named after King George, and it offered a place for Great Britain's poor to potentially gain more economic freedom and start a new life. This project discusses briefly the conditions that led to the establishment of the Georgia colony, the voyage and its hardships, and the freedoms that the colony allowed and forbid the citizens.
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The "Pure"The 16th and 17th century was a time of civil unrest, political power struggle, and religious persecutions. The Puritans, also known as "separatists", were one of these religious groups subjected to religious persecution. There were many believers who were imprisoned, stripped of their personal property, and in some cases even punished by death. Leaders of the religious group hoped to pursue religious freedoms elsewhere and decided to flee their homeland. This project discusses the events that led up to the movement of thousands of separatists and whether or not the decision to pursue religious and political freedoms was worth the harsh conditions experienced in order to obtain it.
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"I shall make them conform themselves or I shall harry them out of the land" - King James I (Firth 11)
The quote above reflects how the Puritans were disobeying King James I religious restrictions and establishments as they believed the Church needed to be further reformed. Due to this, King James I threatened that they shall conform or they will be sent from the land. This is one of the reasons the Puritans choose to leave their home in pursuit of more freedom, which will be explored in greater detail under the heading "the pure."
Firth, C. H. (1900). Oliver Cromwell and the Rule of the Puritans in England. Retrieved December 01, 2018, from https://archive.org/details/puritancromwell00firtuoft/page/380
Firth, C. H. (1900). Oliver Cromwell and the Rule of the Puritans in England. Retrieved December 01, 2018, from https://archive.org/details/puritancromwell00firtuoft/page/380
Site Navigation:
In the pages, "The Poor" and "The Pure," you will find a map detailing the journey and outlining the freedoms or restrictions for each group. To transition between each page, click the tab at the top of the page titled with the topic you want to explore in more detail. To navigate within each page, click "Start Exploring" or the arrow at the right of the page to move on to the next excerpt of information. Source Citations can be found at the bottom of each page.
Authors: Grant Goodnight, Ashleigh Porter, Darby DeFord, and Megan Hanson