Who was the sallied in the Mayflower?

Answer 1

The ship that brought the English Colonists to New England in 1620 was not at all like the cruise ships that many people travel on today. Mayflower didn't have private cabins with windows and beds for each person. There were no TV's, air conditioners, fancy meals, shops, or Swimming Pools. Traveling on the ocean 400 years ago was a very different experience than it is today.

Most ships at that time were merchant ships. This means that they were made for carrying cargo, like barrels of food or clothing, or big pieces of wood, from one place to another to be sold. Before Mayflower sailed to New England, it had been sailing around Europe carrying wine and cloth. This cargo was probably stored in the lower decks of the ship, in one big open storage area. There were no windows on this deck because windows might let in seawater, and then all the cargo would get wet. A little water would leak in anyway, so this area was always cold, damp, and dark.

The storage deck also had very low ceilings. They didn't need to make the decks very high because barrels and boxes weren't very tall . The ship was built this way to save space for the decks where the sailors lived and to make the ship safer. A ship that was too tall might tip over and sink in the water.

The crew (sailors and officers of the ship) lived on the upper decks. There were about 26 crewmembers on Mayflower on the journey from England. The Master, in charge of sailing the ship, was Christopher Jones (we would call him "captain" today.) He probably had his quarters, or living space, at the back of the ship, called the stern. This was the driest and most comfortable area on the ship.

The common sailors, or regular workers, had their quarters at the front of the ship, or bow, in a room called the forecastle. The forecastle, or fo'c'sle , wasn't a pleasant place to sleep or eat. It was constantly hit by waves, so it was always wet and cold. The sailors would have to get used to the swaying and pitching of the ship because it was at its strongest here (like being on a roller coaster all the time!) Also, most of the men would be going to the bathroom at the head, which was at the very tip of the bow. So it wasn't very clean.

There were also officers on Mayflower, who were responsible for sailing and navigating the ship. They probably lived in between the Master and the common sailors. Their quarters weren't as nice as the Master's cabin, but not as awful as the where the common sailors had to live.

So where did the passengers live on Mayflower? The ship carried 102 men, women and children in 1620 on its only trip to New England. That's right, they all had to live in the dark, damp, cold cargo decks down below the crew's quarters! The passengers were the cargo!