Plymouth

The timeline below shows when several European colonies were founded,or started, in North America.

Starting in the late 1500s, English settlers began moving to North America. They started many colonies along the Atlantic Coast:

• Roanoke was the first British colony. It only lasted a few years before most of the settlers died.

• Jamestown was the first successful English colony.

• Plymouth (PLIH-meth) Colony was started 13 years after Jamestown.

• The Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded 10 years after Plymouth. It was founded by a religious group called the Puritans.

English settlers were not the only people coming to the Americas. People from Spain, Portugal, France, and other countries were starting colonies, too. For example, New Amsterdam was founded by Dutch settlers in 1625.

Who were the Separatists?

In the 1600s, people in England could be fined or put in jail if they did not belong to the Church of England. Some people, like the Separatists, still did not want to be part of the Church of England. They were called Separatists because they wanted to separate, or break away, from the Church of England.

What did the Separatists decide to do?

Some of the Separatists decided to leave England. They moved to Holland, in the present-day Netherlands. In Holland, they could follow their own religion.

However, they didn't like living in Holland. It was hard to find good jobs, and they didn't want to lose their English traditions. They started looking for a different place to live.

Why did the Separatists want to start their own colony?

The Separatists weren't happy living in Holland. They decided start their own colony in North America. There, they could follow their own religion and keep their English traditions.

The Virginia Company

Starting a new colony was expensive. The Separatists needed money for travel and supplies. They made a deal with the Virginia Company. The Virginia Company was a business that helped to start new colonies in North America.

The Virginia Company let the Separatists borrow money to buy supplies. Once the colony was started, they could pay the Virginia Company back with fur, lumber, fish, and other goods from North America.

Why weren't all the colonists Separatists?

Only about 40 of the Separatists in Holland decided to move to North America. The Virginia Company knew that 40 people were not enough to start a colony. They found other people in England who wanted to join, too. These people weren't Separatists, but they were willing to work hard to start the new colony.

Today, we call all of the people who founded Plymouth Colony Pilgrims, even though they didn't all share the same religious beliefs.

Why was life on the Mayflower hard?

The Mayflower was small — only 110 feet long. It was designed to carry goods, not people. The Pilgrims spent most of their time crowded together in one room. It was dark, wet, and smelly. Lighting fires for cooking was dangerous, so the Pilgrims ate things like dried meat, cheese, and a cracker called hardtack. It took more than two months for the Pilgrims to reach North America.

A dangerous trip

Storms could be dangerous. During one storm, a Pilgrim was swept overboard. He had to be rescued by the sailors. Another time, a storm damaged the ship. Luckily, the colonists were able to fix it and keep sailing.

The Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact on November 21, 1620. The word compact means agreement. The Pilgrims named the agreement for their ship, the Mayflower.

Almost all of the free men signed their names to the Mayflower Compact. Many of the male servants signed, too. Women were not allowed to sign.

Why was the Mayflower Compact useful?

The Mayflower Compact was useful for many reasons. It created a government to make fair laws for the colony. Almost all of the men signed their names as a promise that they would follow these laws. It was important for everyone to agree to work together. Otherwise, the colony could not survive.

What made the Mayflower Compact special?

People from England were used to having a king make the laws. The Mayflower Compact created a government based on what the people wanted instead. It said that laws should benefit everyone, not just a few people. This was one of the first times that colonists in the Americas created a government for themselves.

Winter was a difficult time to start a new colony. When the Pilgrims first arrived, they didn't have any shelter from the harsh weather. They also couldn't grow any food until the spring. They had to survive on the food they brought with them.

The Pilgrims lived on the Mayflower while they explored Cape Cod Bay. In December, they chose the place to build their colony. They unloaded their supplies from the Mayflower.

Then they began to cut down trees in order to build their town.

The Pilgrims' first winter in Plymouth was hard. William Bradford also wrote these words:

[People] that know the winters of that country know them to be sharp and violent, and subject to cruel and fierce storms.

It took a long time to build houses, so the Pilgrims were often cold. Many people got sick. By the end of the winter, only about 55 of the 102 Pilgrims were still alive.

Who was Massasoit?

The Wampanoag people called their leaders sachems. Each village had its own sachem. All the villages were united under one leader, called the Great Sachem.

When the Pilgrims arrived, the Great Sachem was called Massasoit. Some historians think that Massasoit was a title that meant "Great Sachem." His real name may have been Ousamequin. This means "yellow feather" in the Wampanoag language.

Massasoit led the Wampanoag for more than 40 years.

In 1621, the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims made an agreement. Here is a list of some of the things each side agreed to:

• The Wampanoag would not hurt the Pilgrims.

• The Wampanoag would not steal from the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims would not steal from the Wampanoag.

• The Pilgrims would help if anyone attacked the Wampanoag. The Wampanoag would help if anyone attacked the Pilgrims.

• The Wampanoag would not bring their bows and arrows when they visited the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims would not bring their guns when they visited the Wampanoag.

Why were the Pilgrims and Wampanoag afraid of being attacked?

The Pilgrims were a small group. They didn't have enough people to protect themselves if anyone attacked them. They wanted protection from other Native American tribes in the area.

The Wampanoag also wanted the peace treaty. Other Native American tribes hadn't been hit as hard by disease. Those tribes might attack the Wampanoag and take their land. The Wampanoag wanted help defending their land.

Who was Squanto?

Squanto was a Wampanoag man who was born in Patuxet. His real name was Tisquantum, but the Europeans he met called him Squanto. In 1614, he was captured by English explorers and sold as an enslaved person.

While Squanto was in Europe, he learned to speak English. He convinced an English explorer to take him back to North America to work as a guide and a translator.

When Squanto arrived home, he found that his village was gone. Almost all of the people had died of diseases.

When the Pilgrims arrived, they built Plymouth where Patuxet had been. Squanto went to visit the Pilgrims. He decided to stay with them and help them to survive.

Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to grow crops. The Pilgrims had brought seeds from England, but the seeds didn't grow well in the rocky New England soil. Squanto showed them which plants would survive. He also showed them how to fertilize the fields, or improve the soil.

Squanto also showed the Pilgrims where to hunt and fish. He knew the land much better than the Pilgrims did. He helped them find the best places to hunt and fish.

What did the Pilgrims and Wampanoag eat at the feast to celebrate their first harvest?

The feast was much different from Thanksgiving meals today! The Pilgrims could only eat things they hunted, farmed, or gathered.

In Plymouth Colony, governors were elected, or chosen in a vote, to be governor for one year at a time.

Who was William Bradford?

William Bradford was a Separatist. He helped organize the Pilgrims' trip to North America. In 1621, he was chosen to be governor after John Carver died. He was elected many more times. In total, he served as governor for more than 30 years.

William Bradford is also the reason we know so much about Plymouth Colony. He kept a diary and wrote books telling about Plymouth. These writings are important to historians. They are some of the best records about life in Plymouth Colony.

The map below shows what Plymouth Colony looked like by 1691

The peace treaty between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag lasted over 40 years. There were disagreements, but Massasoit and the governors of Plymouth Colony worked hard to keep the peace.

King Philip's War

After Massasoit died in 1661, the relationship between the colonists and the Wampanoag got worse. The Wampanoag people were angry that the colonists kept taking more and more land. Massasoit's son, Metacomet, became the leader of the Wampanoag. The colonists called him King Philip.

King Philip tried to unite the Native Americans in the area to drive the colonists out. There was a bloody war and many people died. In the end, the colonists won and Metacomet was killed. Plymouth colony continued to grow, taking over more and more Native American land.