Plymouth
Name: _______________
Plymouth Colony was the second permanent English settlement in North America, after Jamestown. It was established in
present-day Massachusetts in December 1620. About one-third of Plymouth's original settlers were Separatist Puritans
who were known as Pilgrims because they traveled from place to place seeking a home where they would have religious
freedom. The rest of the colonists were just hoping to find a better life in America. But because the little group of Puritans
dominated the colony, the entire group was called Pilgrims.
The Puritans
In the 1500s, King Henry VIII and later his daughter, Queen Elizabeth I, had tried to force all the English people to worship
according to the ways of the newly formed Church of England. But some people objected. They thought that the church's
rituals too closely resembled Roman Catholic worship. Because these objectors wanted to "purify" the church, they
became known as Puritans. Some Puritans eventually broke away from the English church. They were called Separatists.
In the early 1600s, King James I outlawed privately organized religious services. Many Separatist leaders were thrown
into jail. Some were condemned to death. To escape persecution, about 100 Separatists settled in the city of Leiden in the
Netherlands in 1609. There they could worship as they pleased. But they found it difficult to earn a good living. And they
missed the English way of life. After much effort, the Separatists persuaded the English government to let them settle in
North America. A group of London merchants agreed to support their settlement.
In July 1620, about 46 Separatists—men, women, and children—sailed back to England. They were joined by people who
had been recruited by the merchants. The 102 passengers all crowded aboard the tiny Mayflower. They set sail from
Plymouth, England, on September 16, 1620. Prominent passengers, now known as the Pilgrim Fathers, included leader
William Brewster; John Carver, Edward Winslow, and William Bradford, early governors of Plymouth Colony; John Alden,
assistant governor; and Myles Standish, a professional soldier.
The Founding of Plymouth
After 65 long days at sea, the Mayflower reached land on November 21. The ship dropped anchor off the tip of Cape Cod,
Massachusetts. By this time, the Pilgrims had begun to argue among themselves. Because they were far away from an
established system of law and order, the Pilgrim leaders decided they must create a governing authority. They drew up an
agreement called the Mayflower Compact. It became the first agreement for self-government signed in America. This
document was signed by the 41 men aboard the Mayflower, who pledged to obey its laws. The men chose John Carver
as the colony's first governor.
The Pilgrims explored the coast along Massachusetts Bay. On December 21, they chose Plymouth (also spelled Plimoth
or Plimouth) as the site of their colony. Plymouth had been named by Captain John Smith on his trip to New England in
1614. According to legend, the Pilgrims stepped ashore at Plymouth Rock. Cannons were dragged to the top of a nearby
hill and set in place for protection. The first building was the Common House. Then rough huts began to go up. But the
harsh climate and illness took a toll on the Pilgrims. By the end of winter half the colonists had died.
One day an Indian suddenly appeared among the colonists. To their surprise he spoke English. He had learned it from
English traders on the coast of what is now Maine. His name was Samoset. Later Samoset brought his friend Squanto,
who became a trusted friend of the Pilgrims. He acted as their guide and interpreter for the rest of his life.
Samoset introduced the Pilgrims to Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoag Indians. Massasoit signed a peace treaty with the
Pilgrims. Plymouth Colony prospered under this treaty. The colony's population grew with new arrivals from England.
Life in Plymouth Colony
At first the colony had only a single street. It was lined on either side with low wooden houses. Each house had a small
garden in back. The meetinghouse was the most important building in the settlement. The whole colony attended religious
services there on Sunday mornings. They spent most of the day sitting on hard wooden benches—praying, singing
hymns, and listening to sermons.
The Indians taught the colonists how to plant maize (corn) and how to catch fish. The colonists ate a varied diet including
corn and other vegetables as well as berries, game, and fish. The Pilgrims invited the Indians to celebrate their first
harvest in 1621, an event now celebrated as Thanksgiving Day.
Under the terms of their contract with the London merchants, the Pilgrims had to work for seven years in return for funds
and supplies. They were not allowed to work for their own gain. Everything had to go into a common store, from which
food and other necessities were drawn. Sometimes the London merchants were slow in sending supplies. At such times,
the colonists did not have enough food to go around.
The colony developed a trade in beaver furs with the Indians. In 1627, trading profits enabled the colony to buy out its
London backers. The colonists were then allowed to trade with the Indians directly. They built trading posts in the
Connecticut Valley to the west and along the Kennebec and Penobscot rivers to the north, in Maine.
Religion and Government
Religion remained at the center of affairs in Plymouth. Although the Pilgrims had been victims of religious persecution
themselves, they were often intolerant of other religious groups. The Quakers, who had fled to the New World for the
same reasons as the Pilgrims, were driven out of Plymouth. The colony's governors were frequently called on for advice in
religious matters even though they were not ministers. The governors were elected, but only certain members of the
community (called freemen) had the right to vote. The most notable governor was William Bradford. He headed the colony
for 30 of the years between 1621 and 1656. Bradford was also Plymouth's leading historian. He wrote a history of the
colony's early years called Of Plymouth Plantation.
With the aid of his council, the governor issued laws ruling the lives of the colonists. These laws were strict but not severe
by the standards of the time. Only seven crimes, including witchcraft, were punishable by death. Lesser offenders usually
had to pay fines. Sometimes an offender was sentenced to the stocks. He would have to sit or stand for hours in the town
square—his ankles, his wrists, and sometimes his neck locked in a wooden frame.
Later Years
As time went on, other English settlements sprang up along the shore of Massachusetts Bay. The Pilgrims' most
important neighbor was the Puritan colony of Massachusetts Bay, in the area of Boston and Salem. Many Puritans came
there from England during the 1630s. The new colony grew rapidly and eventually overshadowed Plymouth Colony.
Plymouth Colony never received an official royal charter from the English king. So the Pilgrims' right to their land was
never clearly established. In 1691, Plymouth was absorbed into the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
Today the Pilgrim village has been rebuilt at Plymouth, Massachusetts, under its original name, Plimoth Plantation.
Nearby sites include Plymouth Rock and the Mayflower II (a replica of the original ship). Visitors may also tour the First
House, 1627 House, Fort Meetinghouse, Pilgrim Hall, and Burial Hill.
Mary Lee Settle
Author
O Beulah Land
Which event was the turning point that helped Plymouth Colony prosper?
a ) the first Thanksgiving feast
b ) the arrival of Samoset and Squanto
c ) the election of John Carver as governor
d ) the development of the beaver trade