Plymouth Colony

The Plymouth Colony and the First Thanksgiving

The Plymouth Colony

This article provides a Plymouth Colony Fact File providing interesting facts and information at a glance in respect of:

  • Facts about the establishment of the Plymouth Colony
  • The voyage of the Pilgrims to the Plymouth Colony
  • Facts on the History and famous people of the Plymouth Colony
  • Facts and info about the Plymouth Colony
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History of the Colonization of America and the original 13 Colonies

The Plymouth Colony: The Establishment and Settlement of the 13 original colonies

The Plymouth Colony
The Plymouth Colony was established in November 1620 and located on the Atlantic coast of North America in, what would become, Massachusetts New England. The Plymouth Colony is not included as one of the original 13 colonies as it was de-established 1691.

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Information and Facts with the Plymouth Colony Fact File
Fast facts and interesting information about the founding, establishment, geography, climate, religion, history, natural resources, raw material, industries (refer to Colonial Times) and the famous historical people associated with the Plymouth Colony of Colonial America. Information and facts at a glance about the Plymouth Colony via this fast fact file.

Facts about the Plymouth Colony

Plymouth Colony Fact 1The Scrooby Puritans made the decision to move to America after reading about the travels and experiences of John Smith in Jamestown in the Generall Historie of Virginia and The True Travels…of Captain John Smith
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 2On the voyage to the new colony the "Saints" and the "Strangers" realised that if they did not work together, they could all die in the wilderness so they came to an agreement on how they would live in Plymouth Colony - the document was signed by the men and was called the Mayflower Compact.

The Pilgrims & the Mayflower
 

 
Plymouth Colony Fact 3The Mayflower Compact served as the basis for the government of the colony by electing a governor, enacting laws and ensuring that there would be law and order in the colony.
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 4John Carver, was elected the first governor of the Plymouth Colony
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 5In November of 1620 the Mayflower ship and the Pilgrims landed in the New World
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 6Their landing place is unsuitable so some of the colonists explore the surrounding area for a better site for the settlement - they are attacked by the Nauset tribe of Indians but no one is hurt
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 7Peregrine White (November 20, 1620 – July 20, 1704) was the first English child born to the Pilgrims in the Plymouth Colony
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 8December 6, 1620: The Plymouth colonists locate present day Plymouth Bay on land that had been previously cleared by Native Indians. They later discovered that it was the Pokanoket Indian village of Patuxet that had been wiped out by an epidemic.
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 9During their third expedition they were attacked in camp early one morning by the Nauset tribe of Indians. Shots and arrows were exchanged, but in the end nobody was injured and the Nauset fled back into the woods.
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 10December 20, 1620: The colonists moved to the site of the settlement and started to build the first house on Christmas Day, 1620.
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 11A terrible epidemic kills half of the Plymouth Colony. 45 of the 102 Pilgrims died that first winter and were buried on Cole's Hill.
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 12February 17, 1621: There next concern at Plymouth Colony was with the Native Indians who had been sighted several times.
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 13The Pokanoket Indians were a leading tribe of the Wampanoag Nation. Their territory was extensive, and known to the Pilgrims before they arrived in the Plymouth Colony. Other tribes such as the Massachusett and the Narragansett also ventured into these territories
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 14One of the leading colonists, William Bradford, had heard that the powerful Pokanoket Indians bore "an inveterate malice to the English". Their desire of revenge had been sparked by Thomas Hunt of the Jamestown Colony who had captured some peaceful Pokanoket Indians and murdered them on his ship.
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 15March 16, 1621: The colonists had a meeting with the Indians and pledged peace with the Pokanoket, Wampanoag Native American Indians led by Chief Massasoit. One of the Indians, Tisquantum aka Squanto, was able to speak English.
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 16April 1621: Governor John Carver dies and William Bradford is elected Governor of the Plymouth Settlement.
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 17July 1621: The Pokanoket Native American Indians feel sympathy for the people in the Plymouth Colony and teach them farming techniques and help the colonists to survive
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 18The military leader, Myles Standish and the new Governor William Bradford had the difficult task of reacting to threats against both the Pilgrims and the Pokanoket Indians from tribes such as the Massachusett, Nauset and Narragansett tribes.
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 19November 1621: The first Thanksgiving was a solemn affair. Only 53 pilgrims were alive to give thanks. The Pokanoket was the tribe of the Wampanoag Nation that had the "first Thanksgiving" with the Pilgrims.
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 20In November 1621 a second ship, the Fortune, is sent by the Merchant Adventurers. The ship arrived with 37 new settlers who were mostly friends and relatives of the colonists
 
 

Facts about the Plymouth Colony

Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor

The Mayflower in Plymouth Harbor

Facts about the Plymouth Colony

Plymouth Colony Fact 21The death of two Massachusett chiefs during an altercation with Captain Myles Standish of Plymouth Colony in 1623 caused the Massachusett to avoid further contact with the colonists
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 22In July 1623 Two More Ships arrive with more settlers for the Plymouth Colony
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 23By 1623 there were 32 houses and 180 residents at the Plymouth Colony
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 24In 1625, another group of English settlers settled in Mount Wollaston (nicknamed Merrymount) in what is now Quincy, Massachusetts, about 27 miles (43 km) north of the Plymouth Colony
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 25Merrymount was led by Thomas Morton. The behaviour of these new colonists was totally unacceptable to the Puritans and Myles Standish led an expedition to arrest Morton and oust the "unpuritanical" colonists
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 26In 1626 Isaac Allerton, was successful in negotiating new terms with the Merchant Adventurers, and the settlers in the Plymouth Colony paid off their debt to the Merchant Adventurers.
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 27In 1627 each family in the colony were allocated large farms along the shore of the present-day towns of Plymouth, Kingston, Duxbury and Marshfield
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 28In 1628 English forces captured a French Trading Post and turned it over to Plymouth Colony.
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 29In 1630 the Massachusetts Colony was established led by Governor John Winthrop
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 30In 1635, the French mounted a small expedition and reclaimed the lucrative trading post settlement from the English.
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 31The General Court of the Plymouth Colony instituted a legal code, the first in North America, on October 4, 1636. It guaranteed citizens a trial by jury
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 32Myles Standish was unable to defeat the French and asked the Massachusetts Colony for help - but they refused. This is indication of the animosity that building up between the two colonies in Massachusetts.
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 33In 1686, the entire region was reorganized under a single government known as the Dominion of New England
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 34The Dominion of New England included the colonies of Plymouth, Rhode Island, Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. In 1688 New York, West Jersey, and East Jersey were added.
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 35in April 1688 Plymouth Colony revolted and withdrew from the Dominion of New England
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 36The Dominion of New England was dissolved during the Glorious Revolution of 1688
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 37A new charter was issued, annexing Plymouth Colony to Massachusetts Bay Colony. The official date of the proclamation ending the existence of Plymouth Colony was October 17, 1691
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 38The new charter was not put into force until the arrival of the new charter on May 14, 1692
 
 
Plymouth Colony Fact 39So ends the short, but eventful, history of the Plymouth Colony
 
 

Facts about the Plymouth Colony

 

Plymouth Colony
The Plymouth Colony article provides important information and interesting facts at a glance via the fast Facts File about the Plymouth Colony including the date the colony were established, geography, history, the system of government, religion, trade and the economic activities in the Plymouth Colony. The history facts provides the names of important people associated with the founding and establishment of the Plymouth Colony. An easy, helpful educational resource for teachers, kids and children.

Plymouth Colony

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