Plymouth Colony – Pilgrims

Did you know that the Pilgrims, who landed in Plymouth Colony in 1620, were the first Europeans to colonize America?

This small group of settlers, only 102 people, made a huge impact on the history of the United States.

Here are 10 surprising facts about the Pilgrims, Plymouth Colony, and the colonization of America that you may not know.

1. The Plymouth Colony was founded in 1620 by a group of English Puritans who later came to be known as the Pilgrims.

The founding of Plymouth Colony marked the beginning of the colonial period of American history. In 1620, the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact and established a new government for the colony.

This document is seen as one of the most significant events leading to the founding of the United States and it was famously referenced by President Abraham Lincoln during his Gettysburg Address in 1863.

2. The Pilgrims were originally from the town of Scrooby in Nottinghamshire, England.

The Pilgrims were originally from the town of Scrooby in Nottinghamshire. The Plymouth Colony was the first permanent English settlement in America and served as an alternative to Jamestown, the first settlement established by the Virginia Company in 1607.

3. They were a religious group who felt that they needed to separate themselves from the Church of England.

This religious group was from England and were part of a Puritan fraction that wanted to separate itself from the Church of England, they wanted freedom from the oppression they felt at home and wanted to make their own choices in the ‘New World’.

4. In order to escape religious persecution, the Pilgrims left England and sailed to the Netherlands in 1608.

5. After spending 11 years in the Netherlands, the Pilgrims decided to move to America in order to have religious freedom.

The Mayflower set sail from Southampton, England in September 1620, carrying the Pilgrims on their journey to the New World.

6. The Pilgrims journeyed to America on a ship called the Mayflower

The voyage lasted 66 days and upon arrival, they landed at Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The colony was founded at Plymouth Rock, which is now commemorated as a national landmark for its importance in American history.

7. The Mayflower originally set sail from Southampton, England in September 1620.

Travelling on the Mayflower must have been a difficult experience for the Pilgrims, who were determined to start a new life in the New World and escape religious persecution. This voyage marked the beginning of the Plymouth Colony, a significant milestone in American History.

8. The voyage took 66 days and the ship arrived in Cape Cod, Massachusetts in November 1620.

In the colonial period of American History, ships such as the Mayflower travelled slowly at around 5 knots (5.8 mph) as they crossed the Atlantic in search of a new world.

This would have been a difficult trip that needed to be well planned with plenty of food and liquid stores. The Mayflower is the best-known ship, but there was also a lesser-known ship that took the perilous journey called the Speedwell.

9. The Pilgrims first settled in an area that is now known as Plymouth, Massachusetts.

During this colonial period, the Pilgrims sailed from England to Cape Cod, where they eventually settled at Plymouth Rock and established the first Puritan fraction of the English Separatist Church in New England.

10. The Plymouth Colony was the first permanent English settlement in America.

The success of the Pilgrims’ venture was largely due to the signing of the Mayflower Compact, which was a legal agreement between the pilgrims and the Virginia Company that provided a framework for governing their new colony.

This momentous event would later be celebrated by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 as the founding of America.

The Plymouth Colony, established by a Puritan fraction from the English Separatist Church, was the first permanent English settlement in America and the Mayflower Compact was signed upon their arrival at Plymouth Rock.

Later, a new settlement was formed in 1607 in Virginia under the Virginia Company, which would become the nucleus for the New England colonies.

Abraham Lincoln famously declared the day of arrival at Plymouth Rock, November 1620, as a national holiday in 1863.