Pilgrim Girl

The Pilgrims, who celebrated the first thanksgiving in America, came to America fleeing the religious persecution experienced in their native England. In 1609 a group of Pilgrims left England for the religious freedom in Holland where they lived and prospered. After a few years their children were speaking Dutch and had become attached to the Dutch way of life. This worried the Pilgrims as they considered the Dutch frivolous and their ideas a threat to their children's education and morality. They decided, as a whole, to leave Holland and travel to the New World. Their trip was financed by a group of English investors, the Merchant Adventurers. It was agreed that the Pilgrims would be given passage and supplies and in exchange they were to work for their backers for the next 7 years. On Sept. 6, 1620 the Pilgrims set sail from Plymouth, England to the New World on a ship called the Mayflower. Aboard were 44 Pilgrims, who called themselves the "Saints", and 66 others whom the Pilgrims called the "Strangers."

The long trip was cold and damp and took 65 days. Since there was danger of fire aboard the wooden ship, the food had to be eaten cold. Many passengers became sick and one person died by the time land was sighted on November 10th.

There were many disagreements between the "Saints" and the "Strangers" during the long journey aboard the Mayflower. After land was sighted a meeting was held and an agreement was worked out, called the Mayflower Compact, which unified the two groups and guaranteed equality. They joined together and named themselves the "Pilgrims."

Begin a new adventure in a strange new land is this Pilgrim Girl costume.

Includes: Long grey dress with attached collar and cuffs, half apron and bonnet.