| Mayflower lands at Plymouth Rock - OTD 11 Dec (1620) Posted by grahame at 00:21, 11th December 2025 |     |
The Mayflower landed at Plymouth Rock in New England on December 11th, 1620
https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/the-mayflower-and-plymouth-rock
The Mayflower had set sail on September 6th with 102 passengers and 30 crew crammed into a ship just over 100 feet long. In the second month of its voyage it was hit by storm-force gales. It was buffeted, sprang leaks, and saw its main beam crack.
Is there a parallel today, from 405 years ago, of small and overcrowded vessels making crossings over choppy waters to reach out for a new life?
The history of the early settlements reminds us that America was settled by two types of immigrants, those that today we would call asylum seekers and economic migrants. Some came to seek liberty and safety, and endured immense hardships to gain them. Others came seeking to improve their lot, and many went through years of privation before successfully establishing themselves.
The Landing of the Pilgrims by Henry A. Bacon (1877) - public domain
