Mayflower Day is observed on September 16 to commemorate the voyage that established the foundation for the modern United States! To the uninitiated, the portion of North America where the Mayflower colonists settled in 1620 is the territory of New England states such as Connecticut and Rhode Island.
The background of Mayflower Day
Mayflower Day commemorates the voyage of English refugees who sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to establish a new colony in the ‘Promised Land,’ which is now the territory of the United States.
The ship’s original destination was a region in and around the present-day territory of the U.S. state of Virginia, but it reached and eventually ducked at Cape Cod, Massachusetts. According to historical accounts, rough seas and storms prevented it from reaching its ultimate destination in Virginia and compelled it to dock in the vicinity of the modern-day Hudson River in what is now the state of New York.
The original 102 passengers on board the Mayflower were commanded by a group of English merchants known as the London Adventurers, from whose journal the majority of the written account of the 66-day voyage was derived.
The Mayflower Day celebration commemorates the historical figures, voyagers, and ship that were instrumental in the formation of the contemporary United States.
William Bradford, one of the Mayflower passengers, is considered to have helped establish the traditions of self-government that would later set the pattern for national political development in the years to come through his introduction of franchise and town meetings as the 30-year governor of the Plymouth colony, where the Mayflower passengers settled and which is also one of the thirteen colonies that subsequently merged to form the United States.
MAYFLOWER DAY OCCUPATIONS
Read or observe a history book or documentary.
There are several free online documentaries about the voyage of the Mayflower from England. Alternatively, visit your preferred library to learn from the fascinating accounts of various authors.
Attend a museum
The Plimoth Plantation Museum and Pilgrim Hall Museums in Massachusetts are two of the museums devoted to hosting the Mayflower ship’s artefacts and educating visitors about the voyage that led to the formation of one of the colonies that eventually became the United States. Contact them.
Discuss its significance on social media
Mayflower Day can also be commemorated by discussing the journey’s 66-pound duration. Utilise #MayflowerDay when posting on social media.
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5 THINGS YOU DON’T KNOW ABOUT MAYFLOWER
The claim that the Mayflower ended up as a barn in Jordan, England, was an error originating from J. Rendel Harris’ 1920s book titled “The Finding Of The Mayflower” that has been discredited as the result of an overzealous imagination on the 300th anniversary of the Mayflower’s voyage, combined with a tainted oral history.
Before disembarking the Mayflower, the passengers drafted and signed the Mayflower Compact, an agreement that established a rudimentary government in which each member would contribute to the safety and well-being of the intended settlement in contemporary Plymouth, Massachusetts.
The Mayflower was reportedly constructed in Harwich, England, shortly before Christopher Jones, an English merchant, purchased it in 1608.
According to marine archaeologists, the Mayflower ship weighed approximately 180 tonnes and measured 90 feet (27 metres) in length.
In 1957, the Mayflower’s momentous voyage was commemorated with a replica of the original ship, which was constructed in England and sailed to Massachusetts in 53 days.
MAYFLOWER DAY DATES
Year | Date | Day |
---|---|---|
2023 | September 16 | Saturday |
2024 | September 16 | Monday |
2025 | September 16 | Tuesday |
2026 | September 16 | Wednesday |
2027 | September 16 | Thursday |