Editing John Alden (section)

== Voyage of the ''Mayflower'' ==
{{main article|Mayflower}}

[[File:The Mayflower Compact 1620 cph.3g07155.jpg|right|thumb|''The Mayflower Compact 1620'': an 1899 painting by [[Jean Leon Gerome Ferris]] depicts John Alden signing the document.{{sfnp|Library of Congress}}|alt=A group of men in antiquated clothing gathered around a desk in a ship's cabin with one woman looking on. A large piece of paper is on the desk and one man is signing.]]
Alden was hired by Capt. Christopher Jones in Southampton when he was about 21 years old to work as the ship's cooper during the ''Mayflower's'' voyage to America.<ref name="BDA1906p70"/> According to historian [[Nathaniel Philbrick]], the colonists encouraged him during the voyage to remain with them in America due to his useful skills as a barrel-maker and carpenter.{{sfnp|Philbrick|2006|p=25}}

The ''Mayflower'' departed [[Plymouth]], England on September 6, 1620. The 100-foot ship had aboard 102 passengers and a crew of about 20 to 30 in extremely cramped conditions.{{sfnp|Philbrick|2006|p=25}} A lack of proper rations and unsanitary conditions for months caused illnesses that eventually proved fatal for many, particularly to women and children. There were two deaths during the ocean crossing, a crew member and a passenger.{{sfnp|Philbrick|2006|p=25}}

The ship spotted [[Cape Cod]] on November 9, 1620 after about two months at sea. Their original destination had been the mouth of the [[Hudson River]], which was then part of the [[Colony of Virginia]]. Capt. Jones made an attempt to round the southern end of Cape Cod, but he lacked an adequate chart of the area known as [[Pollock Rip Shoal|Pollock's Rip]], and the strong currents and dangerous shoals there forced him to turn back. Jones determined that the colonists would have to disembark and settle in [[New England]] rather than the Hudson River due to widespread illness aboard ship and dwindling supplies. The ''Mayflower'' eventually came to anchor on November 11 in [[Provincetown Harbor]] at the northern tip of Cape Cod.{{sfnp|Philbrick|2006|pp=36-39}}

The decision to settle outside of Virginia Colony raised some problems. The group carried a [[land patent|patent]] which granted authority to their elected leaders and entitled them to establish their own plantation within the bounds of Virginia Colony. They were settling in New England, however, so the patent became irrelevant and some members began to question the authority of their leaders. To settle these questions, the colony's leadership drew up the [[Mayflower Compact]], an agreement that they would work together, acting as "a civil body politic" in obedience to such laws as the colony might enact.{{sfnp|Philbrick|2006|pp=39-40}} The Mayflower Compact was signed by all free male settlers on November 11, the same day that they set anchor at Provincetown. John Alden signed the document, which is an indication that he had already made the decision to remain with the settlers. He was the youngest of the signers and the last survivor.<ref name="BDA1906p70"/>