A Brief History of the Plymouth Colony

The stockholders' of the Virginia Company, had established a settlement at Jamestown, where a lucrative tobacco economy began to develop in the early 1600s. The Virginia Company of Plymouth was a rival company that wanted their share of the tobacco wealth as well. Sir Edwin Sandys, a major figure in the company, hoped to start a new investment by convincing King James I that he should allow a group of religious separatists to settle on the company’s lands around 1613. They would be able to practice whatever religion they wanted as long as they paid the company a share of their profits. Earlier, in 1608, a group of religious separatists from the English town of Scrooby had moved quietly to Amsterdam, Holland in search of religious freedom. Their journeys earned them the name "Pilgrim." Despite their enjoyment of religious freedom, the separatists were denied entry to the lucrative Dutch companies and found it hard to support themselves. They also were concerned about the fact that their children were growing up as young Dutch people and not adhering to their parents’ religious orders. Therefore, most of them had returned to England as of 1619. Separatist leaders secured a land grant and embarked on the ship Mayflower for the New World in September 1620. The Mayflower was accompanied by the smaller Speedwell in August 1620 but had to return to the English port two times due to leaks aboard the Speedwell. Eventually all passengers were placed on the Mayflower. They arrived in November of 1620 initially at Provincetown Bay and later settled at what became Plymouth. The Pilgrims had intended to settle near the mouth of the Hudson River, but had been blown off course in stormy weather. Since they were well outside the confines of Virginia, the colonists sought to legitimize their venture by forming the Mayflower Compact. William Bradford, a leader of the Separatist congregation, was one of the framers of the Mayflower Compact, and would serve as Plymouth’s governor for 30 years after its founding until 1650. Bradford also kept a detailed journal chronicling the ship’s voyage and the founding of Plymouth Colony. The Pilgrims established their first home in an empty Indian village where the inhabitants had recently been wiped out by an epidemic. With typical religious certainty, the leaders concluded that God had cleared the site for his chosen people. During the first winter, in early 1621 adverse weather conditions and lack of food took a heavy toll among the original 102 colonists. Nearly half of them would not survive. In late1621, the Pilgrims concluded a peace treaty with Chief Massasoit of the neighboring Wampanoag tribe. The natives provided critical instruction on adaptation to the new environment, particularly in the cultivation of corn. That fall, following a successful harvest, the Pilgrims feasted with the Wampanoag in the first Thanksgiving celebration. The Plymouth economy developed around trade in fish and furs beginning in 1630. The sandy, rocky soil had made farming difficult, but basic crops were grown successfully. Plymouth was never a prosperous settlement, but the religiously faithful were content to be ignored by English officials and left to direct their own affairs. Peace with the Native Americans did not last forever. King Philip’s War in 1675 marked the last major effort by the Native Americans of southern New England to drive out the English settlers. With tensions spilling over following the collapse of trade partnerships and aggressive expansion of colonist territories, Wampanoag Chief Metacom — a.k.a. King Philip — led a bloody uprising of Wampanoag, and neighboring tribes. The fighting lasted 14 months and destroyed 12 frontier towns, ending shortly after Metacom was captured and beheaded. Some of his supporters escaped to Canada, while others who surrendered were sold into slavery. Plymouth remained a separate political area until it was absorbed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony, in 1691.