In 1534 England was ruled by King Henry VIII. “He ruled for 36 years during this time he married six different wives all to gain more political power.”[1] Two of his marriages ended in annulment, two from natural deaths, and the others from beheadings. What upset a lot of people from the Church of England is the fact that he wanted to annul his first marriage without receiving approval from the pope.
Protestant reformers saw this as a chance to convey genuine change to the congregation in England. “In time, these reformers came to be called Puritans, mainly because they wanted to purify the Church of England of Catholic traditions that they did not believe to be biblical.”[2] In any case, after numerous years of battling for change, a few …show more content…
The Speedwell once again was taking on water. The boat was repaired and a second attempt was made the Mayflower and the Speedwell only made it about 300 miles out before the Speedwell started taking on water again. Once again, both ships turned back this time they landed in Plymouth, England. Once in England the Separatist decided that it was best if the Speedwell did not make the journey. The Speedwell was repaired. The true cause of the continuous leaking problem is very gray. Nathaniel Philbrick had a theory that the ship mast was too large for the boat causing extra stress, which produced holes in the hull. Prior to the first attempt across the sea the Speedwell was equipped with a larger mast. William Bradford also agreed with this theory. However Robert Cushman stated the leak was from a loose, two foot board. The leaking boat was repaired and was brought to London and was sold at auction. The Speedwell is reported to have gone on several other successful voyages with its new