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Plymouth
Colony was the second permanent English settlement in
America. The colonists who settled there became known as the Pilgrims
because of their wanderings in search of religious
freedom. In 1620, Colonists from England sailed across the
Atlantic in the Mayflower
and established their colony on the rocky western shores of Cape
Cod Bay in southeastern Massachusetts. This region had been called
Plimouth on John Smith's map of New England, drawn in 1614.
Plymouth Colony remained independent until 1691, when it became
part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Most of the Pilgrims were "Separatists"
(Puritans who had separated from the Church of England). The
government of England had arrested and tried the Separatists
because of their nonconformity (refusal to belong to the Church of
England). In 1608, a group of the Separatists moved to the
Netherlands. After a few years, some of them became dissatisfied,
and felt things would be better in a new land. They secured
financial backing in London, and in 1620, left the Netherlands in
a small ship called the Speedwell. The ship stopped in England and
and others joined along in the Mayflower. The Speedwell was not
very seaworthy and twice the group returned to England. Finally in
September 1620, the Mayflower sailed alone from Plymouth, England.
The ship carried 102 passengers,
including women and children.
THE MAYFLOWER COMPACT:
After land was sighted a meeting was held and an agreement,
called the Mayflower
Compact, was written. The Mayflower Compact guaranteed
each group equality and joined the two groups together, all to be
known as the Pilgrims.
THE FIRST WINTER:
Due to the long voyage, the Mayflower landed
at Plymouth, north of Cape Cod, Massachusetts in
November. This was very bad timing as the Pilgrims did not have
time to plant food for the winter. The first winter was very harsh
for the new settlers. The cold temperatures and snow interfered as
the Pilgrims tried to construct their settlement. Out of the
original group of Pilgrims, only about half survived the first
winter. (Take a virtual Tour of Plymouth
Plantation or see Maps
& Landscape of Plymouth Colony)
THE INDIANS:
On March 16, 1621 an Indian named Samoset
arrived at the settlement and frightened the Pilgrims until he
called out "Welcome" in English. Although the Pilgrims
and Samoset had a difficult time communicating, he did stay for
awhile and even spent the night. Samoset left the next day and
returned a few days later with an English speaking Indian named Squanto.
Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to hunt, fish and grow corn.
THE FIRST THANKSGIVING:
Because of Squanto's help, the Pilgrims had a very successful
harvest in October and had plenty of food for the upcoming winter.
The Pilgrim's Governor William
Bradford proclaimed a day of celebration sometime in the
middle of October. The Pilgrims invited Squanto and many other
Indians to join in the celebration. The celebration
lasted for three days. (See
a painting of the first Thanksgiving)
CONTINUATION OF THE CELEBRATION OF THANKSGIVING:
The custom of celebrating after harvest time became an annual
event. However, it was not until 1863
when President Abraham Lincoln officially proclaimed the last
Thursday in November a national day of Thanksgiving. On November
26, 1941, President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared the fourth
Thursday in November as a national holiday. |
