![]() Your browser does not support the audio element. Listen to a recorded reading of this page:.So many people have chipped off samples of the rock that it is now about 1/3 of its original size. There is a famous rock where the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth called Plymouth Rock.A lot of what we know about the Pilgrims comes from William Bradford's journal called Of Plymouth Plantation.William Bradford was governor of Plymouth colony for around thirty years.That's not a lot of space for 102 people to live for two months! The Mayflower was around 106 feet long and 25 feet wide.The "Separatists" often referred to the other members of the colony as "Strangers.".They continued this tradition and, in 1623, when they were celebrating the end of a long drought, they began to call the feast "Thanksgiving." This feast is sometimes called the first Thanksgiving. They invited some of the local Wampanoag people to join them. The Pilgrims held a feast after their first harvest in 1621. Without Squanto's help the colony probably wouldn't have survived. ![]() He taught them how to plant corn, where to hunt and fish, and how to survive through the winter. He agreed to stay with the Pilgrims and teach them how to survive. One Wampanoag man, Squanto, had traveled to Europe and could speak some English. They established a peace treaty and agreed to trade for animal furs. The chief of the Wampanoag, Massasoit, made contact with the Pilgrims. The Native Americans that lived in the same area as Plymouth Colony were the Wampanoag peoples. Map of Plymouth Colony by Samuel de Champlain Governor John Carver died that that Spring and William Bradford was elected the new governor. By the end of winter, only 47 out of the original 102 settlers were still alive. At one point there were only around six people well enough to continue working. Many people got sick and died over the first winter. For a time, some people slept on the Mayflower. They quickly built a main common house and then began to build small houses for each of the families. They were not prepared for the cold winter. The Pilgrims were happy to finally be in America, but things didn't get any easier for them. It was here that they built their village and established the Plymouth Colony. It had a calm harbor for their ship, a river for fresh water, and flat lands where they could plant crops. They eventually found a location called Plymouth. The men also voted John Carver to be the first governor of the colony.Īfter arriving in America, the Pilgrims searched the coast of New England for a good place to build a settlement. The Mayflower Compact was signed by 41 of the Pilgrim men (the women were not allowed to sign). The compact declared that the colonists were loyal to the King of England, that they were Christians who served God, that they would make fair and just laws, and that they would each work for the good of the colony. They signed a document that is today called the Mayflower Compact. When the Pilgrims arrived in New England, they decided they needed to make an agreement on how issues would be settled and the colony would be run. After two long months at sea, the Pilgrims finally reached land.īy Jean Leon Gerome Ferris Mayflower Compact At one point, they considered turning back, but decided to stick it out. Storms also hit the ship very hard causing one of the main beams to crack. They ran out of fresh water and many people became sick. The extra people on the ship made the trip even worse. The voyage across the Atlantic Ocean was long and difficult. In addition to the 102 passengers, there were between 25 and 30 crewmen onboard the ship. They managed to fit 102 total passengers on the Mayflower, but they had to leave 20 of the original Speedwell passengers behind. Once back at port, they crowded as many of the passengers as possible onto the Mayflower and set sail once again for America on September 6, 1620. ![]() However, not long after leaving England, the Speedwell began to leak and the Pilgrims had to return to port. The Pilgrims initially set sail aboard two ships the Speedwell and the Mayflower. Other Pilgrims were hoping to find adventure or a better life in the New World. They were not allowed to do this in England where they were persecuted and sometimes put in jail for their beliefs. They were called this because they wanted to "separate" from the Church of England and worship God in their own way. Many of the Pilgrims were part of a religious group called Separatists. The Pilgrims traveled to America in search of a new way of life. Source: Wikimedia Commons Why did the Pilgrims travel to America?
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