Pilgrims Found Plymouth Colony Name: Class: List as many reasons as you can as to why a family today might decide to move. For what reasons did the settlers start the Jamestown colony? Why come to America? The hope of a new start in life brought most people to England s American colonies. A new start, however, had different meanings for different people. The people who settled Jamestown hoped to find gold and make profits. Other groups looked for a place where they could freely follow their religious beliefs. What s the problem? England s King Henry VIII wanted the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church to give him permission to divorce his wife and marry his mistress. The Roman Catholic Church doesn t believe in divorces so the Pope told King Henry VIII that he would not grant him permission. This made King Henry VIII mad so he had his wife killed and married his mistress anyway. He then broke away from the Roman Catholic Church and formed the Anglican Church. People in England were now expected to follow this new religion. The problem was that not everyone in England was happy with the new church. Many wanted to go back to the Roman Catholic beliefs and rituals.
Who is unhappy? Some people wanted the Anglican Church to get rid of all of the Roman Catholic influences and thus purify it. These people still stayed with the Anglican Church and tried to change it from within. These people were known as Puritans. A small group of Puritans, however, disapproves so strongly of the Anglican Church that they would not worship there at all. They separated themselves from the Anglican Church and were called Separatists. This made the English government mad so they often attacked this group of people. Life in England became so difficult for them so one group moved to the Netherlands because that country would let people practice whatever religion they wanted. This group of people called themselves Pilgrims, a term for travelers with a religious goal. They eventually received a charter from the Virginia Company of London to start a colony in Virginia. John Carver was one of their leaders and he found the group a small but seaworthy ship called the Mayflower. What happens when they sail to America? In September 1620, the Mayflower set sail carrying about 100 men, women, and children. They were blown of course and came to rest at the tip of Cape Cod, off the coast of present-day Massachusetts. The Pilgrims were supposed to start a colony in Virginia but they were outside the areas of their charter and its laws. To establish some kind of law and discipline, Pilgrim leaders decided they must make an agreement before they went ashore. The 41 men aboard signed a document setting up a form of self-government and agreeing to obey laws passed by the majority. This pact became known as the Mayflower Compact. John Carver is chosen to be governor.
Who helps the Pilgrims? The Pilgrims, like the colonists of Jamestown, Virginia, had their own starving time. By spring almost half of them had died. The colonists who survived the winter were surprised one March day when a tall Native American named Samoset appeared and greeted them in English. Samoset introduced them to the chief of the Wampanoags and to another Native American named Squanto. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to survive by showing them how to hunt. plant corn. catch fish. Thanks to the help of the Wampanoags and Squanto, the Pilgims had an abundant harvest in 1621. They shared their food with the Native Americans in a festival usually thought to be the first Thanksgiving in the English colonies. The meal probably included corn bread wild game birds venison shellfish vegetables
Comparing Jamestown and Plymouth Name: Class: Directions: Reread your guides on Jamestown and Plymouth and make comparisons between the settlements based on the following categories. Categories Jamestown Plymouth Reasons for coming to America Problems they faced after arriving in America Leadership (how the colony was governed) Wealth, land, crops, furs, wood, fish, silver, and gold The land was very swampy. It was filled with mosquitoes. The drinking water was bad. Colonists died from malaria or typhoid fever. The colonists knew nothing about living in a wilderness. Many colonists only came for gold and adventure. They did not want to cut wood, build homes, or plant crops Starving Time Wars with Native Americans Burgesses House of Burgesses Representative Government Royal Colony (eventually) Religious Freedom Starving Time Didn t know how to survive Signed the Mayflower Compact setting up a form of self-government and agreeing to obey laws passed by the majority. John Carver becomes governor. Relations with Native Americans Was good at first but then eventually they began attacking each other. Squanto and the Wampanoags helped the Pilgrims survive by teaching them how to hunt, plant, and fish.