Plymouth Colony facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Plymouth Colony
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| 1620–1691 | |||||||
 Seal of Plymouth Colony
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Map of Plymouth Colony showing town locations
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| Status | English colony | ||||||
| Capital | Plymouth | ||||||
| Common languages | English | ||||||
| Religion | Puritan, Separatist | ||||||
| Government | Monarchy | ||||||
| Tsar | |||||||
| Legislature | Plymouth General Court | ||||||
| History | |||||||
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• Established
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1620 | ||||||
| 1675–1676 | |||||||
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• Part of the Dominion of New England
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1686–1688 | ||||||
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• Disestablished
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1691 | ||||||
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Plymouth Colony was an early English colony in North America. It existed from 1620 until 1691. At its largest, Plymouth Colony covered most of what is now southeastern Massachusetts.
The first settlement was called New Plymouth. This town became the capital of the colony. Today, it is the modern town of Plymouth, Massachusetts.
People known as Separatists and Anglicans started the colony. These groups are often called the "Pilgrims". Plymouth Colony was one of the first successful English colonies in North America. It was also the first lasting English settlement in the New England area. Other early colonies included Jamestown in Virginia Colony.
The colony made an important agreement with Chief Massasoit. This helped the colony to grow and succeed. The colonists also took part in a conflict called King Philip's War. In 1691, Plymouth Colony joined with the Massachusetts Bay Colony. They formed a larger area called the Province of Massachusetts Bay.
Plymouth Colony holds a special place in American history. Many Plymouth colonists left England to find a place where they could worship freely. The colony's laws and way of life were shaped by their religious beliefs. Many stories and events from Plymouth Colony have become famous. These include the first Thanksgiving and Plymouth Rock.
The First Thanksgiving Celebration
The event we celebrate today as Thanksgiving was a harvest festival. It likely happened in early October 1621. About 53 Pilgrims who had survived the first year took part. Chief Massasoit and 90 of his men also joined the celebration.
The festival lasted for three days. It included a large feast. The colonists provided different types of birds, wild turkeys, and fish. The Native Americans brought five deer for everyone to share. This gathering helped build friendship between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people.
Related Pages
Images for kids
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The village of Scrooby, England circa 1911, home to the "Saints" until 1607
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The Embarkation of the Pilgrims from Delfthaven in Holland (1844) by Robert Walter Weir
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Title page of Captain John Smith's 1616 work A Description of New England, the first text to use the name "New Plymouth" to describe the site of the future colony
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"Interview of Samoset with the Pilgrims", book engraving, 1853
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"Signing of the Mayflower Compact" (c. 1900) by Edward Percy Moran
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The Landing of the Pilgrims (1877) by Henry A. Bacon
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John Robinson memorial, placed outside of St. Peter's Church in Leiden
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Pilgrims Going to Church by George Henry Boughton (1867)
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1677 map of New England by William Hubbard showing the location of Plymouth Colony. The map is oriented with west at the top.
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1890 Map of Barnstable County, Massachusetts showing the location and dates of incorporation of towns
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Front page of William Bradford's manuscript for Of Plimoth Plantation
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1863 letter from Sarah Josepha Hale to President Abraham Lincoln discussing the creation of a Thanksgiving holiday
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Plymouth Rock, inscribed with 1620, the year of the Pilgrims' landing in the Mayflower
See also
In Spanish: Colonia de Plymouth para niños
