Plymouth, Massachusetts

By: Nova Shtrikman and Annabelle Phan

Location: Massachusetts; New England

Colony Region Geography: Plymouth had rolling hills, fertile

valleys, mild summers, and the winters were freezing. Plymouth had flat coastlines, but an hilly inland.

Natural Resources: Fish, whales, forest animals, and trees.

Location and Geography

Alchin, Linda. "Massachusetts Colony." Land of the Brave. Siteseen Ltd., 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 1 Jan. 2014.

Plymouth was originally settled for religious freedom, or

to simply have a better life. Pilgrims feared that their children would grow up to be Dutch,

and they didn’t want that because they didn’t want their children to be driven away from their original beliefs.

Prisoners would work as indentured slaves. Few colonist sought riches. The Mayflower was blown off course on its way to the Virginia

colonial region and ended in Plymouth. The state of Massachusetts established slavery in 1783

and became important.

Reasons for Colonization

• Amercan Hitory, Dictonary of. "Plymouth Colony." Encyclopedia.com. 1 Jan. 2003. Web. 1 Jan. 2014.

• "Colonization in the New World." Teaching US History. 1 Jan. 2009. Web. 1 Jan. 2014.

William Bradford He served 31 years as the

governor of Plymouth. Under his rule, he helped draft the colony’s legal code. With his rule, Plymouth never became as religious as their neighbor, the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

John Carver Obtained financial backing for the trip and chartered Mayflower. Established of a treaty of alliance between the Indian chief Massasoit and James 1 of England

Edward Winslow He served as the governors council until 1644, and became governor. He didn’t have that much effect on the colony because he was only governor for 1 year.

William Brewster Served as a religious leader and as an advisor to William Brewster. He was a colony leader and preacher.

Founder and Date

Leadersof Plymouth

Established

December 26, 1620

• Cambrige, Peterhouse. "Who Was William Brewster." Peterhouse Cambridge. Peterhouse Cambridge. Web. 1 Jan. 2014.

• "John Carver." Encylopedia Britannica. Encylopedia Britannica, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 1 Jan. 2014.• Channel, History. "William Bradford." Hisotry.com. A&E Television Networks, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 1 Jan. 2014.

Plymouth was the capital of Massachusetts in

1620. It was founded by a group of Separatists.

Separatists are people that wanted to separate from the English Church.

Plymouth was unusual against other colonies because the citizens of the colony were fleeing for religious persecution and searching for a place to worship their God.

Capital of Plymouth

"Plymouth Colony." History.com. 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 6 Oct. 2014.

Small family farms. Land was divided evenly and fairly. The fur trade grew very profitable. Fishing was used to make up their debt. They learned from the Native Americans to

learn farming techniques such as: Proper crop rotation Dead fish fertilizer

Used live stock for food, trade, and fur.

Economic Structure

"Plymouth Colony." Dictionary of American History. 2003, "Plymouth Colony." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.. 2014, and "Plymouth Colony." World Encyclopedia. 2005. "Plymouth Colony." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 1 Jan. 2003. Web. 6 Oct. 2014.

Main Religion: Puritanism/Christianity

They believe that the bible is the only true source for religious teachings. They thought themselves separate from the Anglican Church.

The Church was the center of the colony Church attendance was mandatory, and so

was membership to the church. Absence for one day would lead to severe

consequences such as excommunication.

Religion

"The Mayflower and Plymouth Colony." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 6 Oct. 2014.

A body of free men met in an annual General

Court to elect the governor and assistants, enact laws, and levy taxes.

William Bradford dominated political life Plymouth was a self-governing entity based

entirely on the Mayflower Compact and the two patents issued by the Council for New England.

Civics

• "Plymouth Colony." Dictionary of American History. 2003, "Plymouth Colony." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Ed.. 2014, and "Plymouth Colony." World Encyclopedia. 2005. "Plymouth Colony." Encyclopedia.com. HighBeam Research, 1 Jan. 2003. Web. 6 Oct. 2014.

• "Plymouth Colony." - Encyclopedia Article. Web. 6 Oct. 2014.

Positives and Negatives

of PlymouthPositives

• Near the ocean- provided fishing.

• Cold winters-prevented spread of disease.

• Self governing entity-provided more freedom for the colonists.

• Mild summers made the soil good for farming.

• Made friends with the native Americans

• The natives taught them helpful surviving techniques

Negatives• Cold weather- hard to farm.• Your family could only get a

farm if you were rich enough and a lot of people weren’t.

• The farming soil froze in the winter because of the freezing temperatures.

• The hilly inland resulted in most of the civilization on the coast.

• The colonists didn’t land in the Virginia colonial area, where they planned to settle.