Name: ______Date: ______
The Settlement of Plymouth The third English settlement in North America was started by people who were looking for religious freedom. King James I said that everyone in England had to belong to the Church of England, but some people refused. Among them were people called Separatists (a group that wanted to have a separate, or independent, church.)
The Separatists decided to move to a place where they could be free to practice their own religion. In time, this group came to be known as the Pilgrims.
In September 1620, the Pilgrims sailed from England, traveling on a ship called the Mayflower. After more than two months at sea, they landed on the tip of Cape Cod in what is now Massachusetts. Before going ashore, the Pilgrims drew up a plan of government. They wrote down a set of rules, called the Mayflower Compact, to help them live together peacefully. After most of the men signed this agreement, they elected John Carver as governor.
After exploring the area, the Pilgrims decided to sail the Mayflower across a bay that separated them from the mainland. They landed at a place they named Plymouth. Soon they began to build houses and a meeting hall called the Common House.
The first winter was very difficult. The Pilgrims had landed too late in the year to plant crops, and they faced a cold and hard climate. Nearly half of the 102 Pilgrims died of disease and starvation before spring. Only a few settlers remained healthy enough to care for the others.
In March 1621, the Pilgrims’ luck finally improved. A man named Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet (Paw-TUX-et) tribe who was living with the nearby Wampanoags (wahm- puh-NOH-ags), visited the Pilgrims. Some years earlier, Squanto had lived in England and could speak English. Squanto stayed with the Pilgrims and taught them how to plant corn, catch fish, and get sweet syrup from maple trees. The Pilgrims were so grateful that they thought Squanto had been sent by God. Squanto also told the Pilgrims about the many American Indians who had died from a disease that they had caught from English and French fishermen. While Squanto had been away in England, the members of his Pawtuxet tribe had died from this sickness.
Another American Indian who visited the Pilgrims was Massasoit (MAS-uh-soyt). He was the sachem (say-CHEM), or chief, of the Wampanoags. Squanto helped arrange a peace treaty, or agreement, between Massasoit and the Pilgrims. The Wampanoags and the Pilgrims promised not to fight each other. They also agreed to help protect each other against attacks by other American Indians.
The Pilgrims’ corn ripened during the summer. In the fall, they held a feast to give thanks for the harvest—the food they had collected from the plants they had grown. Massasoit and other Wampanoags came to the celebration with deer to cook and eat. The Pilgrims had goose, duck, deer, fish, lobster, and wild turkey. The thanksgiving feast lasted three days. Today, people in the United States still observe this harvest celebration on the holiday called Thanksgiving Day.
In 1621, John Carver died, and Plymouth needed a new governor. William Bradford was elected to this post. He was governor of Plymouth for more than 30 years.
In the next few years, ships brought more and more settlers to the colony. In time, other groups would join the Pilgrims in the area we now call New England. Name:&______& & Date:&______& & Plymouth&Colony& & What&was&the&reason&the&colonists&of&Plymouth&left&England&to&live&in&an& American&colony?& & *The&Pilgrims&left&England&because&they&wanted& religious&freedom.&&& & They&went&to&Holland&first,&but&did¬&get&the&freedom& they&wanted,&so&they&came&to&America.&&Because&of&bad& weather,&they&did¬&go&to&Jamestown&and&landed&near& Cape&Cod&in&Massachusetts.&& & & & & What&was&the&Mayflower&Compact?&& Why&was&it&created&and&what&was&its&purpose?&& & The&Mayflower&Compact&was&a&set&of&laws/a&plan&of& government&for&Plymouth.&It&was&made&to&help&them&all& live&together&peacefully.& John&Carver&was&elected&as&the&1st&governor.&& & & & & & Why&are&the&colonists&of&Plymouth&referred&to&as&“Pilgrims”&or& “Separatists”?& & & They&were&called&Separatists&because&they&wanted&to&be& separate&from&the&Church&of&England.& Pilgrims&are&people&who&travel&to&a&new&place&for& religious&reasons.&& && & & & & & Almost&half&of&the&colonists&died&within&the&first&few&months&of&the& creation&of&Plymouth.&&Why&did&this&happen?&&Why&was&life&so&hard&for&the& colonists&at&first?& & The&Pilgrims&arrived&in&November&which&meant&that&it& was&too&cold&and&too&late&to&plant&and&grow&crops.&&Many& settlers&died&from&starvation&or&became&sick&from&the& cold.&& & & & Which&Native&American&helped&the&colonists?&&What&did&he&do&to&help?& Why&did&the&pilgrims&hold&a&3Qday&Thanksgiving&feast?& & Squanto&was&a&Native&American&who&helped&the&Pilgrims& plant&corn,&fish,&and&get&sweet&syrup.&& & The&following&year&the&Pilgrims&grew&corn&and&so&they& held&a&Thanksgiving&feast&to&celebrate&the&harvest.&& & ! &