The Plymouth Colony

The Big Picture

• The 1500’s: Much of Europe was divided over religion
• King of England: Henry VII
• Broke away from the Roman Catholic Church
• Set up the Church of England
• The members of the Church of England were called Protestants
• Beliefs & practices different from those of other Christian Religions

Who were the Pilgrims?

• Lived in England
• Disagreed with the religious teachings of the Church of England
• Members of a group called Separatists
• In England: Church of England was the same as the Government of England
• King James I head of country AND church
• Not belonging to church= not obeying king
• TREASON!

Pilgrims Sail To The New World

• Decided to sail to the New World
• King James I gave permission to allow Pilgrims to settle in Virginia
• Set sail on September 16^th, 1620 aboard the Mayflower
• 102 passengers
• 65 days at sea

The Mayflower

• The Mayflower left alone on September 16, 1620.
• The ship had 30 sailors, 100 passengers and 2 dogs.
• The journey was long and difficult. They did no have fresh water or enough food.
• Terrible storms came and blew the Mayflower North.

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The Mayflower compact

• 41 male passengers signed the “Mayflower Compact”
• Agreement to enact “just and equal laws for the general good of the colony”
• Men agreed to form temporary government with laws
• Became basis of government in Plymouth
• America’s “first constitution”

Plymouth Rock

• After 66 days at sea they saw land. But it was not the Virginia Colony.

Plymouth

• The Pilgrims decided to stay in the area of Massachusetts instead of trying to get to Jamestown and Virginia. But this presented them with a problem.

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• Why do you think it was a problem?

The First Winter

• December 26, 1620: Landed at present-day Plymouth, Massachusetts
• The first winter at Plymouth was very hard.
• The weather was cold and there was not enough food.
• Many people became ill or starved
• By the end of Winter ½ colonists died

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Plymouth Colony, 1620

Helpful Natives

• Spring of 1621
• Wampanoag Indians offer to help the Colonists
• The Natives teach the Pilgrims how to farm
• Squanto 🡪 English-Speaking Indian (learned English through trading)
• Acted as guide & interpreter
• Helped colonists plant corn, catch fish, gather fruit

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Harvest - Thanksgiving

• In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims gathered for their first harvest. It was to celebrate the harvest and give thanks for it.
• A festival was held for three days that included the 53 English colonists and 90 Wampanoag men. It included feasting.
• This became Thanksgiving.
• This became a national holiday in 1863 (more than 200 years later) when President Lincoln declared it a holiday.

Plymouth Colony

• The Plymouth colony continued to grow through fishing, farming and fur trading.
• Their farms stayed small because of a colder climate and rocky soil.
• It remained a separate colony until 1691 when it became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.