Write everything in yellow. Start on page 27 in your notebook. Title it “Plymouth Pilgrims”

 People came to Jamestown for economic reasons.  They wanted to find gold or other riches.  They wanted to make a profit by selling tobacco.  Pilgrims did NOT come to American for economic reasons. They came to America for religious freedom.

 Religious Freedom means the right to have any religious beliefs you want, or none at all.  In the 1600’s you had to belong to the Church of England, ruled by the King of England.  If you did not follow this religion you were persecuted. Persecuted means you were put in jail or not treated nicely.  One group did not want to follow the Church of England decided to separate and became known as the Separatists.

 In 1608 they moved to Holland so they could follow their religion freely.  In Holland they had religious freedom but began to worry that their children would not learn English ways.  The Separatists decided to move to America so they could live with other English people but could still follow their own religion.

 Discuss at your tables and report out.

 Religion was a push and pull factor that led the Separatists to migrate to North America

 In 1620 they got a charter from the Virginia Company to make a new settlement in Virginia.  Some people became scared to go. In the end only 40 Separatists planned to go.  Do you think this was a large enough group to begin a new settlement? Why or Why not?

 They needed more people to join them so they signed up other English people who did not share their religion. They called these people “Strangers”.  Two ships were chosen. The Speedwell and the Mayflower.  Why have we never heard of the Speedwell?  What do you think happened?

 Each time they sailed on the Speedwell it began to leak and they had to turn back.  Finally, the Mayflower left alone on September 16,  The ship had 30 sailors, 100 passengers and 2 dogs.  The journey was long and difficult. They did nto have fresh water or enough food.  Terrible storms came and blew the Mayflower North.  After 66 days at sea they saw land. But it was not the Virginia Colony. They were too far north in the area that is now Massachusetts.

 The Pilgrims decided to stay in the area of Massachusetts instead of trying to get to Jamestown and Virginia. But this presented them with a problem. Why do you think it was a problem?

 While they were on the ship they decided to write an agreement that would create a government for them and keep order.  This type of agreement was called a “Compact”.  The Mayflower Compact was the agreement the Pilgrims signed that created a government for their colony.

 Glue the “Understanding the Mayflower Compact” into your notebook. Read and discuss.

 They began looking for a place to settle.  They wanted a place with a safe harbor, fresh water and good soil.  Most people stayed on the ship, some began to look for a good place.  In December they found a clearing with old cornfields that used to be a settlement of the Wampanoag Native Americans.  On December 26, 1620 the group went ashore. This was officially the beginning of Plymouth Colony, which was also known as the Plymouth Plantation.

 How would landing in December affect the Pilgrims?

 The first winter at Plymouth was very hard. The weather was cold and there was not enough food. Many people became ill. By spring about one half of the settlers had died.  KEY IDEA___A lot of the settlers died because the winter was so cold and there was not enough food.

 Help came in the spring when an Abenaki Native American named Samoset walked into the settlement. HE shocked the group by speaking English to them. He explained that he had learned English from sailors who fished along the coast.  KEY IDEA___Samoset came and helped them. He spoke English. __________________

 He returned to Plymouth with a Wampanoag who spoke English better than he did. He was Tisquantum. The Pilgrims ended up calling him Squanto. Years before Tisquantum had been taken and sold as a slave in Spain. He had later escaped and spent some years in England before returning to his homeland. He stayed with the Plymouth colonists and showed them where to fish and how to plan crops like squash, pumpkins and corn.  KEY IDEA_Squanto came and taught them how to fish and plant crops.

 How do you think so many deaths affected the colony?  How were these events similar to those of Jamestown?  How were they different?  Why do you think Tisquantum (Squanto) decided to help the people even though he had been taken and sold as a slave by Europeans before?

 In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims gathered for their first harvest. It was to celebrate the harvest and give thanks for it. A festival was held for three days that included the 53 English colonists and 90 Wampanoag men. It included feasting.  This became Thanksgiving.  This became a national holiday in 1863 (more than 200 years later) when President Lincoln declared it a holiday.

 The Plymouth colony continued to grow through fishing, farming and fur trading.  Their farms stayed small because of a colder climate and rocky soil.  It remained a separate colony until 1691 when it became part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.