Stephen Hopkins (l. 1581-1644 CE) was a passenger of the Mayflower on the voyage of 1620 CE which established the Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts, USA. He was the only member of the party with prior experience in North America, having taken part in a mission to supply the Jamestown Colony of Virginia in 1609 CE. The ship he was traveling on, the Sea Venture, was wrecked on the coast of Bermuda, stranding the company there for the next ten months until they completed the construction of two ships which brought them to Jamestown in 1610 CE. The wreck of the Sea Venture, chronicled by one of the passengers, William Strachey (l. 1572-1621 CE), provided the inspiration for William Shakespeare's play The Tempest (written 1610-1611 CE), and one of the characters, Stephano, is believed to be based on Hopkins.
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Definition
Timeline
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1581 - 1644Life of Stephen Hopkins, Mayflower passenger, early member of Plymouth Colony.
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1609 - 1610Stephen Hopkins is shipwrecked on Bermuda.
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1610 - 1614Stephen Hopkins works as an indentured servant at Jamestown Colony in Virginia.
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1614 - 1620Stephen Hopkins returns to England when his first wife dies; remarries and settles in London.
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1620Stephen Hopkins leaves England with his family and servants aboard the Mayflower.
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Nov 1620 - 21 Dec 1620Stephen Hopkins participates in exploratory missions around Cape Cod; helps select site for Plymouth Colony.
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11 Nov 1620Stephen Hopkins is among the signers of the Mayflower Compact.
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1621 - 1622Stephen Hopkins helps build Plymouth Colony; participates in First Thanksgiving.
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Mar 1621Stephen Hopkins welcomes the Native American Samoset into his home to spend the night; first positive interaction between Native Americans and immigrants.
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c. 1625 - c. 1640Stephen Hopkins operates a tavern in Plymouth Colony while also assisting William Bradford as governor.
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1636 - 1638Stephen Hopkins fined for allowing people to drink in his tavern at Plymouth Colony on the sabbath.
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1639Stephen Hopkins jailed for refusing to honor his contract with an indentured servant who had relations with a man that had killed a Native American.
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c. 1640Stephen Hopkins sells off his land around Plymouth Colony to move closer to Native American settlements.
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1644Stephen Hopkins of Plymouth Colony dies of natural causes.
