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The Plymouth Colony's Founding
Previously, 100 English men, women, and children, set sail for the New World on the Mayflower. Of these, about 41 were Separatists seeking religious freedom. The Mayflower anchored at Plymouth Rock and created the first permanent English settlement, which they named Plymouth because they had set sail from Plymouth Port in England. -
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The First Winter
During the winter, half of the colonists died during the harsh winter and because of spreading disease. -
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Development
The Plymouth Colony's government provided religious tolerance. Its economy was based on private agriculture. Within 70 years of its founding, the Plymouth Colony was home to over 7,000 people. -
Mayflower Compact
The Mayflower Compact was the first attempt at self-government in the New World, and was made to protect food supply. Though the Separtists were the minority group of the colony, they entirely controlled the government for the first 40 years of the colony. -
Native American Tribes
The Pilgrims were able to have peaceful relationships with many Native American tribes. In March 1621, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag made a peace treaty that lasted for 50 years. -
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Other Ships
In 1621, the Fortune arrived at the Plymouth Colony, and in 1623, the Anne and the Little James arrived in 1623. People who arrived in these ships were called "Old Comers" and got special treatment in the colony. -
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Thanksgiving
In the fall, the Pilgrims hosted a harvest festival lasting three days. They invited 90 members of the Pokanoket tribe and their chief to celebrate with them. Only about four women were there, do to around 78% of them dying during the first winter. They ate deer, garlic, chestnuts, cranberries, and artichokes. They also played games and did military exercises. It became an annual event. -
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Decline
Over time, the Pilgrims stopped focusing on why they had come from England, for religious freedom, and began focusing on their own personal gain, usually in the form of trade. They split up into smaller groups instead of looking towards the community. -
The End Of The Plymouth Colony
The Massachusetts colony grew very quickly and had a large number of people who lived in it. In the year of 1691, the Plymouth colony became part of the Massachusetts colony.
