Pilgrim Fathers set sail from Plymouth 400 years ago
This was a freedom born out of tribulation.
In 16th century England, believers had experienced dire persecution at the hands of Queen Mary I. Nearly 300 Protestant men and women were burned at the stake during her rule. Many more fled to mainland Europe.
While Elizabeth I’s accession brought relief from violence, those who hoped for a thorough reformation of the Church of England grew increasingly frustrated. Proposals to reform the ceremonial Anglican services were routinely defeated. But rather than tolerate those who objected to religious trappings such as the wearing of vestments or kneeling at communion, Elizabeth enforced compliance. Then, in 1604, Archbishop of Canterbury Richard Bancroft’s anti-dissenting measures saw many Puritan ministers expelled from the Church of England....