The Plymouth Colony - 1620

Founded in 1620 in order to escape religious persecution from the Church of England, 102 Pilgrims lead by William Bradford, founded the colony of Plymouth in modern day Massachusetts.

Unlike Jamestown, Plymouth had hard, rocky soil and harsh winters. It was located in the Northeast part of the United States, where Jamestown was located further south.

The people of Plymouth were very different than the people of Jamestown, also. They were very hard working, deeply religious, family-centered people who committed themselves to a life based on the Bible.

Even though their approach to settling was much different than Jamestown, the Pilgrims still suffered much hardship and disease throughout the beginning of their settlement.

Click to enlarge map of the Plymouth colony

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Great detailed History Channel vide on the Mayflower itself.

History Channel clip on the reasons the Pilgrims settled.

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Native American Relations

The Pilgrims, at first, developed strong Native American relations, knowing that the key to their survival would be understanding how to survive.  Through the help of the various Wampanoag people, in particular, a former Native American slave named Squanto, the Pilgrims built a successful colony.

In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims shared a harvest feast with the Pokanokets and has been acknowledged as the first Thanksgiving.

However, years later the relationship with the Native Americans crumbled and eventually lead to King Philip's War (King Philip was the leader of the Pokanokets beginning in 1660s) and conflict that would continue between the Native Americans and the white settlers.

For more information on the real Thanksgiving story, visit the GMU/History Network website.