Advertisement
This page tells all about the Plymouth Colony and what some call the first Thanksgiving.
Plymouth Colony
The Plymouth Colony was founded in 1620 by English Separatists commonly known as the Pilgrims. Their voyage aboard the Mayflower, the signing of the Mayflower Compact, and their relationship with the Wampanoag people became some of the best-known stories of early colonial America.
Escaping Religious Persecution
English Separatists, later known as the Pilgrims, left England for the Netherlands in the early 1600s because they wanted greater freedom to practice their religion. Although they were allowed to worship more freely there, life in the Netherlands was difficult. Many immigrants struggled to find well-paying work, and some worried that their children were losing their English language, culture, and religious identity. Members of the group eventually made arrangements with English investors known as the Merchant Adventurers to establish a settlement in North America. The investors helped finance the voyage in exchange for a share of the colony's future profits.
We Thought Virginia Was the Destination!
In September 1620, about 100 passengers boarded the Mayflower and sailed across the Atlantic. Only a portion of the passengers were Separatists; the rest were other settlers seeking economic opportunities or a new life in America. The voyage lasted more than two months and was often difficult because of storms and crowded conditions. The settlers had intended to establish themselves within the territory controlled by the Virginia Company, but the ship arrived far to the north near present-day Cape Cod in November 1620. Because they were outside the area covered by their original authorization, some passengers questioned whether they were still required to follow the colony's leaders.
The Mayflower Compact
Before leaving the ship, 41 adult male passengers signed the Mayflower Compact. The agreement stated that the settlers would form a civil government and obey laws created for the good of the colony. It also affirmed their loyalty to the English king. The Compact did not create democracy as we understand it today, but it became an important early example of settlers agreeing to govern themselves through laws created by their own community.
The Signing of the Mayflower Compact
The Pilgrims Establish Plymouth
After exploring the coast of present-day Massachusetts for several weeks, the settlers chose a location at Plymouth in December 1620. The site included cleared land that had previously been occupied by the Patuxet people, many of whom had died during epidemics that swept through Native communities before the Pilgrims arrived. The settlers began building shelters, but the first winter was devastating. Disease, exposure, and malnutrition killed about half of the Mayflower's passengers.
Massasoit and Squanto Help the Pilgrims
The survival of Plymouth Colony was closely connected to the assistance of Native peoples. Tisquantum, commonly called Squanto, had previously been kidnapped by Europeans, taken across the Atlantic, and eventually returned to his homeland. Because he spoke English, he became an important interpreter and adviser to the Pilgrims. Squanto helped the settlers learn local methods of planting crops and obtaining food. The Pilgrims also developed an alliance with Massasoit, the sachem of the Wampanoag people. In the fall of 1621, after the colony's first successful harvest, the Pilgrims held a multi-day feast attended by Massasoit and about 90 Wampanoag men. This gathering later became associated with the American tradition of Thanksgiving.
Why it mattered: Plymouth became one of the most famous early English settlements in North America, and the Mayflower Compact became an important symbol of self-government and community agreement.
Plymouth Colony Articles and Activities
- The Mayflower
- Squanto Biography
- Wampanoag Nation
- Plymouth Colony Reading Passage and Critical Thinking Multiple Choice Questions - Printable
- Plymouth Colony Reading Passage and Critical Thinking Multiple Choice Questions - Online
- Squanto Reading Passage and Critical Thinking Multiple Choice Questions - Online
- Life in Puritan Massachusetts Reading Passage and Critical Thinking Multiple Choice Questions - Printable
- Life in Puritan Massachusetts Reading Passage and Critical Thinking Multiple Choice Questions - Online
13 Colonies Navigation
- Massachusetts Bay Colony
- New Hampshire Colony
- Connecticut Colony
- Rhode Island Colony
- New York Colony
- New Jersey Colony
- Pennsylvania Colony
- Delaware Colony
- Maryland Colony
- Virginia Colony
- North Carolina Colony
- South Carolina Colony
- Georgia Colony
Other 13 Colonies Articles
Advertisement
Related activities
Advertisement
