|Cowony of Engwand|
Map of Pwymouf Cowony showing town wocations
|Legiswature||Pwymouf Generaw Court|
|•||First Thanksgiving (1621)|
|•||Peqwot War (1637)|
|•||King Phiwip's War||1675–1676|
|•||Part of de Dominion of New Engwand||1686–1688|
|Today part of||Commonweawf of Massachusetts|
Pwymouf Cowony (sometimes New Pwymouf) was an Engwish cowoniaw venture in Norf America from 1620 to 1691. The first settwement of de Pwymouf Cowony was at New Pwymouf, a wocation previouswy surveyed and named by Captain John Smif. The settwement served as de capitaw of de cowony, and is de modern town of Pwymouf, Massachusetts. At its height, Pwymouf Cowony occupied most of de soudeastern portion of de modern state of Massachusetts.
Pwymouf Cowony was founded by a group of Separatists initiawwy known as de Brownist Emigration and Angwicans, who came to be known as de Piwgrims. It was one of de earwiest successfuw cowonies to be founded by de Engwish in Norf America, awong wif Jamestown and oder settwements in Virginia, and de first sizabwe permanent Engwish settwement in de New Engwand region, uh-hah-hah-hah. The cowony was abwe to estabwish a treaty wif Chief Massasoit which hewped to ensure its success; in dis, dey were aided by Sqwanto, a Native American of de Patuxet peopwe. It pwayed a centraw rowe in King Phiwip's War (1675–1678), one of de earwiest of de Indian Wars. Uwtimatewy, de cowony was merged wif de Massachusetts Bay Cowony and oder territories in 1691 to form de Province of Massachusetts Bay.
Despite de cowony's rewativewy short existence, Pwymouf howds a speciaw rowe in American history. A significant proportion of de citizens of Pwymouf were fweeing rewigious persecution and searching for a pwace to worship as dey saw fit, rader dan being entrepreneurs wike many of de settwers of Jamestown. The sociaw and wegaw systems of de cowony became cwosewy tied to deir rewigious bewiefs, as weww as Engwish custom. Many of de peopwe and events surrounding Pwymouf Cowony have become part of American fowkwore, incwuding de Norf American tradition known as Thanksgiving and de monument known as Pwymouf Rock.
- 1 History
- 1.1 Origins
- 1.2 Mayfwower voyage
- 1.3 Prior expworation and settwements
- 1.4 Landings at Provincetown and Pwymouf
- 1.5 First winter
- 1.6 "First Thanksgiving"
- 1.7 Earwy rewations wif de Native Americans
- 1.8 Growf of Pwymouf
- 1.9 Miwitary history
- 1.10 Finaw years
- 2 Life
- 3 Government and waws
- 4 Geography
- 5 Demographics
- 6 Economy
- 7 Legacy
- 8 See awso
- 9 Notes
- 10 References
- 11 Externaw winks
Pwymouf Cowony was founded by a group of Engwish separatists who water came to be known as de Piwgrims. The core group (roughwy 40% of de aduwts and 56% of de famiwy groupings) was part of a Congregationawist congregation wed by Wiwwiam Bradford. The congregation began to feew de pressures of rewigious persecution whiwe stiww in de Engwish viwwage of Scrooby, near East Retford, Nottinghamshire. In 1607, Archbishop Tobias Matdew raided homes and imprisoned severaw members of de congregation, uh-hah-hah-hah. The congregation den weft Engwand in 1609 and emigrated to de Nederwands, first to Amsterdam and den to Leiden.
In Leiden, de congregation gained de freedom to worship as dey chose, but Dutch society was unfamiwiar to dem. Scrooby had been an agricuwturaw community, whereas Leiden was a driving industriaw center, and de pace of wife was hard on de Separatists. The community remained cwose-knit, but deir chiwdren began adopting Dutch wanguage and customs, and some were awso going into de Dutch Army. The Separatists were awso stiww not free from de persecutions of de Engwish Crown, uh-hah-hah-hah. Engwish audorities came to Leiden to arrest Wiwwiam Brewster in 1618, after he pubwished comments highwy criticaw of de King of Engwand and de Angwican Church. Brewster escaped arrest, but de events spurred de congregation to move even farder from Engwand.
The congregation obtained a wand patent from de London Virginia Company in June 1619, after decwining de opportunity to settwe souf of Cape Cod in New Nederwand because of deir desire to avoid de Dutch infwuence. This wand patent awwowed dem to settwe at de mouf of de Hudson River. They den sought financing drough de Merchant Adventurers, a group of businessmen who principawwy viewed de cowony as a means of making a profit. Upon arriving in America, de Piwgrims began working to repay deir debts.
Using de financing secured from de Merchant Adventurers, de Cowonists bought provisions and obtained passage on two ships: de Mayfwower and de Speedweww. They had intended to weave earwy in 1620, but dey were dewayed severaw monds due to difficuwties in deawing wif de Merchant Adventurers, incwuding severaw changes in pwans for de voyage and in financing. The Congregation and de oder cowonists finawwy boarded de Speedweww in Juwy 1620 in de Dutch port of Dewfshaven.
Speedweww was re-rigged wif warger masts before weaving Howwand and setting out to meet Mayfwower in Soudampton, Engwand, around de end of Juwy 1620. The Mayfwower was purchased in London, uh-hah-hah-hah. The originaw captains were Captain Reynowds for Speedweww and Captain Christopher Jones for Mayfwower. Oder passengers joined de group in Soudampton, incwuding Wiwwiam Brewster, who had been in hiding for de better part of a year, and a group of peopwe known to de Leiden congregation as "The Strangers." This group was wargewy made up of peopwe recruited by de Merchant Adventurers to provide practicaw assistance to de cowony and additionaw hands to work for de cowony's ventures. The term was awso used for many of de indentured servants.
Among de Strangers were Mywes Standish, who was de cowony's miwitary weader, Christopher Martin, who had been designated by de Merchant Adventurers to act as shipboard governor during de trans-Atwantic trip, and Stephen Hopkins, a veteran of a faiwed cowoniaw venture dat may have been de inspiration for Shakespeare's The Tempest. The group dat water became de Leiden Leaders after de merging of ships incwuded John Carver, Wiwwiam Bradford, Edward Winswow, Wiwwiam Brewster, and Isaac Awberton, uh-hah-hah-hah.
The departure of de Mayfwower and Speedweww for America was beset by deways. Furder disagreements wif de Merchant Adventurers hewd up de departure in Soudampton, uh-hah-hah-hah. A totaw of 120 passengers finawwy departed on August 5—90 on de Mayfwower and 30 on de Speedweww. Leaving Soudampton, de Speedweww experienced significant weakage, which reqwired de ships to immediatewy put in at Dartmouf. The weakage was partwy caused by being over masted and being pressed too much wif saiw. Repairs were compweted, den a furder deway ensued awaiting favorabwe winds. The two ships finawwy set saiw on August 23 and made it onwy two hundred miwes beyond Land's End before anoder major weak in de Speedweww forced de expedition to return again to Engwand, dis time to de port of Pwymouf. The Speedweww was found to be unseawordy; some passengers abandoned deir attempt to emigrate, whiwe oders joined de Mayfwower, crowding de awready heaviwy burdened ship. Later, it was specuwated dat de crew of de Speedweww had intentionawwy sabotaged de ship to avoid having to make de treacherous trans-Atwantic voyage. The deways had significant conseqwences; de cost of de repairs and port fees reqwired dat de cowonists seww some of deir invawuabwe provisions, but, more importantwy, de deways meant dat everyone had to spend de entire winter on board de Mayfwower off Cape Cod in what couwd onwy be described as sqwawid conditions.
The Mayfwower departed Pwymouf, Engwand on September 6, 1620 wif 102 passengers and about 30 crew members in de smaww, 106 foot-wong ship. The seas were not severe during de first monf in de Atwantic but, by de second monf, de ship was being hit by strong norf-Atwantic winter gawes, causing it to be badwy shaken wif water weaks from structuraw damage. There were many obstacwes droughout de trip, incwuding muwtipwe cases of seasickness and de bending and cracking of a main beam of de ship. One deaf occurred, dat of Wiwwiam Button, uh-hah-hah-hah.
After two monds at sea, wand was sighted on November 9 off de coast of Cape Cod. They attempted to saiw souf to de designated wanding site at de mouf of de Hudson but ran into troubwe in de region of Powwack Rip, a shawwow area of shoaws between Cape Cod and Nantucket Iswand. Wif winter approaching and provisions running dangerouswy wow, de passengers decided to return norf to Cape Cod Bay and abandon deir originaw wanding pwans.
Prior expworation and settwements
The Piwgrims were not de first peopwe in de area. Besides de indigenous tribes, dere had been nearwy a century of expworation, fishing, and settwement by Europeans. John Cabot's discovery of Newfoundwand in 1497 had waid de foundation for de extensive Engwish cwaims over de east coast of Norf America. One of de earwiest maps of New Engwand was produced c. 1540 by cartographer Giacomo Gastawdi and erroneouswy identified Cape Breton wif de Narragansett Bay. The resuwting map compwetewy omits most of de New Engwand coast. European fishermen had been pwying de waters off de New Engwand coast for much of de 16f and 17f centuries.
Frenchman Samuew de Champwain had expwored de area extensivewy in 1605. He had specificawwy expwored Pwymouf Harbor, which he cawwed "Port St. Louis," and made an extensive and detaiwed map of it and de surrounding wands. Patuxet, de native viwwage upon which de town of Pwymouf was water buiwt, was shown by Champwain as a driving settwement. However, an epidemic wiped out up to 90% of de Native Americans awong de Massachusetts coast in 1617–1619, incwuding de Patuxet, before de arrivaw of de Mayfwower. The epidemic has traditionawwy been dought to be smawwpox, but a recent anawysis has concwuded dat it may have been a wesser-known disease cawwed weptospirosis. The absence of any serious native opposition to settwement by de Piwgrims may have been a pivotaw event to deir success and to Engwish cowonization in de Americas.
Popham Cowony, awso known as Fort St. George, was organized by de Pwymouf Company (unrewated to Pwymouf Cowony) and founded in 1607. It was settwed on de coast of Maine and was beset by internaw powiticaw struggwes, sickness, and weader probwems. It was abandoned in 1608.
Captain John Smif of Jamestown fame had expwored de area in 1614 and is credited wif naming de region of New Engwand. He named many wocations using approximations of Native American words. The future site of de Piwgrim's first settwement was originawwy named "Accomack" by Smif. In consuwtation wif Prince Charwes, son of King James, Smif changed "Accomack" to New Pwymouf. A map pubwished in his 1616 work A Description of New Engwand cwearwy shows de site of de future Piwgrim settwement named "New Pwimouf."
In de Mayfwower settwers' first expworations of Cape Cod, dey came across evidence dat Europeans had previouswy spent extensive time dere. They discovered remains of a European fort and uncovered a grave dat contained de remains of bof an aduwt European mawe and a Native American chiwd.
Landings at Provincetown and Pwymouf
The Mayfwower anchored at Provincetown Harbor on November 11, 1620. The Piwgrims did not have a patent to settwe dis area; dus, some passengers began to qwestion deir right to wand, compwaining dat dere was no wegaw audority to estabwish a cowony. In response to dis, a group of cowonists drafted and ratified de first governing document of de cowony, de Mayfwower Compact, whiwe stiww aboard de ship as it way off-shore. The intent of de compact was to estabwish a means of governing de cowony, dough it did wittwe more dan confirm dat de cowony wouwd be governed wike any Engwish town, uh-hah-hah-hah. It did, however, serve de purpose of rewieving de concerns of many of de settwers. This sociaw contract was written and signed by 41 Separatist men, uh-hah-hah-hah. It was modewed on de church covenants dat Congregationawists used to form new congregations. It made cwear dat de cowony shouwd be governed by "just and eqwaw waws," and dose who signed it promised to keep dese waws.
The group remained on board de ship drough de next day, a Sunday, for prayer and worship. The immigrants finawwy set foot on wand at what became Provincetown on November 13. The first task was to rebuiwd a shawwop, a shawwow draft boat dat had been buiwt in Engwand and disassembwed for transport aboard de Mayfwower. It wouwd remain wif de Piwgrims whiwe de Mayfwower returned to Engwand. On November 15, Captain Mywes Standish wed a party of sixteen men on an expworatory mission, during which dey disturbed a Native American grave and wocated a buried cache of Indian corn, uh-hah-hah-hah. The fowwowing week, Susanna White gave birf to son Peregrine White on de Mayfwower. He was de first Engwish chiwd born to de Piwgrims in de New Worwd. The shawwop was finished on November 27, and a second expedition was undertaken using it, under de direction of Mayfwower master Christopher Jones. Thirty-four men went, but de expedition was beset by bad weader; de onwy positive resuwt was dat dey found a Native buriaw ground and corn dat had been intended for de dead, taking de corn for future pwanting. A dird expedition awong Cape Cod weft on December 6; it resuwted in a skirmish wif wocaw Native Americans known as de "First Encounter" near modern-day Easdam, Massachusetts. The cowonists decided to wook ewsewhere, having faiwed to secure a proper site for deir settwement, and fearing dat dey had angered de wocaw Native Americans by robbing deir corn stores and firing upon dem. The Mayfwower weft Provincetown Harbor and set saiw for Pwymouf Harbor.
The Mayfwower dropped anchor in Pwymouf Harbor on December 16 and spent dree days wooking for a settwement site. They rejected severaw sites, incwuding one on Cwark's Iswand and anoder at de mouf of de Jones River, in favor of de site of a recentwy abandoned Native American settwement named Patuxet. The wocation was chosen wargewy for its defensive position, uh-hah-hah-hah. The settwement wouwd be centered on two hiwws: Cowe's Hiww, where de viwwage wouwd be buiwt, and Fort Hiww, where a defensive cannon wouwd be stationed. Awso important in choosing de site was dat de prior Native viwwagers had cweared much of de wand making agricuwture rewativewy easy. Fresh water for de cowony was provided by Town Brook and Biwwington Sea. There are no contemporaneous accounts to verify de wegend, but Pwymouf Rock is often haiwed as de point where de cowonists first set foot on deir new homewand.
The area where de cowonists settwed had been identified as "New Pwymouf" in maps by John Smif pubwished in 1614. The cowonists ewected to retain de name for deir own settwement, in honor of deir finaw point of departure from Engwand: Pwymouf, Devon.
On December 21, 1620, de first wanding party arrived at de site of what water became de settwement of Pwymouf. Pwans to immediatewy begin buiwding houses, however, were dewayed by incwement weader untiw December 23. As de buiwding progressed, twenty men awways remained ashore for security purposes, whiwe de rest of de work crews returned each night to de Mayfwower. Women, chiwdren, and de infirm remained on board de Mayfwower; many had not weft de ship for six monds. The first structure was a "common house" of wattwe and daub, and took two weeks to compwete in de harsh New Engwand winter. In de fowwowing weeks, de rest of de settwement swowwy took shape. The wiving and working structures were buiwt on de rewativewy fwat top of Cowe's Hiww, and a wooden pwatform was constructed atop nearby Fort Hiww to support de cannon dat wouwd defend de settwement.
During de winter, de Mayfwower cowonists suffered greatwy from wack of shewter, diseases such as scurvy, and generaw conditions onboard ship. Many of de abwe-bodied men were too infirm to work; 45 out of 102 piwgrims died and were buried on Cowe's Hiww. Thus, onwy seven residences (of a pwanned nineteen) and four common houses were constructed during de first winter. By de end of January, enough of de settwement had been buiwt to begin unwoading provisions from de Mayfwower. In mid-February, after severaw tense encounters wif wocaw Native Americans, de mawe residents of de settwement organized demsewves into miwitary orders; Mywes Standish was designated as de commanding officer. By de end of de monf, five cannons had been defensivewy positioned on Fort Hiww. John Carver was ewected governor to repwace Governor Martin, uh-hah-hah-hah.
On March 16, 1621, de first formaw contact occurred wif de Indians (or Native Americans). A Native American named Samoset, originawwy from Pemaqwid Point in modern Maine, wawked bowdwy into de midst of de settwement and procwaimed, "Wewcome, Engwishmen!" He had wearned some Engwish from interacting wif Engwish fishermen and trappers (most probabwy from Bristow) operating in de region, uh-hah-hah-hah. It was during dis meeting dat de Piwgrims wearned how de previous residents of de Native American viwwage of Patuxet had died of an epidemic dought to be smawwpox. They awso discovered dat de supreme weader of de region was a Wampanoag Native American sachem (chief) by de name of Massasoit; and dey wearned of de existence of Sqwanto (awso known by his fuww Massachusett name of Tisqwantum), a Native American originawwy from Patuxet. Sqwanto had spent time in Europe and spoke Engwish qwite weww. Samoset spent de night in Pwymouf and agreed to arrange a meeting wif some of Massasoit's men, uh-hah-hah-hah.
Massasoit and Sqwanto were apprehensive about de Piwgrims. In Massasoit's first contact wif de Engwish, severaw men of his tribe had been kiwwed in an unprovoked attack by Engwish saiwors. He awso knew of de Piwgrims' deft of de corn stores in deir wandings at Provincetown, uh-hah-hah-hah. Sqwanto had been abducted in 1614 by Engwish expworer Thomas Hunt and had spent five years in Europe, first as a swave for a group of Spanish monks, den in Engwand. He had returned to New Engwand in 1619, acting as a guide to expworer Capt. Robert Gorges. Massasoit and his men had massacred de crew of de ship and had taken in Sqwanto.
Samoset returned to Pwymouf on March 22 wif a dewegation from Massasoit dat incwuded Sqwanto; Massasoit joined dem shortwy dereafter. After an exchange of gifts, Massasoit and Governor Carver estabwished a formaw treaty of peace. This treaty ensured dat each peopwe wouwd not bring harm to de oder, dat Massasoit wouwd send his awwies to make peacefuw negotiations wif Pwymouf, and dat dey wouwd come to each oder's aid in a time of war.
On Apriw 5, 1621, after being anchored for awmost four monds in Pwymouf Harbor, de Mayfwower set saiw for Engwand. Nearwy hawf of de originaw 102 passengers had died during de first winter. As Wiwwiam Bradford wrote, "of dese one hundred persons who came over in dis first ship togeder, de greatest hawf died in de generaw mortawity, and most of dem in two or dree monds' time". By November 1621, onwy 53 piwgrims were awive to cewebrate de harvest feast which modern Americans know as "The First Thanksgiving". Of de 18 aduwt women, 13 died de first winter whiwe anoder died in May. Onwy four aduwt women were weft awive for de Thanksgiving.
Severaw of de graves on Cowe's Hiww were uncovered in 1855; deir bodies were disinterred and moved to a site near Pwymouf Rock.
The autumn cewebration in wate 1621 dat has become known as "The First Thanksgiving" was not known as such to de Piwgrims. The first "Thanksgiving" as de Piwgrims wouwd have cawwed it (referring to sowemn ceremony of praise and danks to God for a congregation's good fortune) did not occur untiw 1623, in response to de good news of de arrivaw of additionaw cowonists and suppwies. That event probabwy occurred in Juwy and consisted of a fuww day of prayer and worship and probabwy very wittwe revewry.
The event now commemorated in de United States at de end of November each year is more properwy described as a harvest festivaw. The originaw festivaw was probabwy hewd in earwy October 1621 and was cewebrated by de 53 surviving Piwgrims, awong wif Massasoit and 90 of his men, uh-hah-hah-hah. Three contemporaneous accounts of de event survive: Of Pwymouf Pwantation by Wiwwiam Bradford; Mourt's Rewation probabwy written by Edward Winswow; and New Engwand's Memoriaw by Pwymouf Cowony Secretary (and Bradford's nephew) Capt. Nadaniew Morton. The cewebration wasted dree days and featured a feast dat incwuded numerous types of waterfoww, wiwd turkeys and fish procured by de cowonists, and five deer brought by de Native Americans.
Earwy rewations wif de Native Americans
After de departure of Massasoit and his men, Sqwanto remained in Pwymouf to teach de Piwgrims how to survive in New Engwand, for exampwe using dead fish to fertiwize de soiw. For de first few years of cowoniaw wife, de fur trade was de dominant source of income, buying furs from Native Americans and sewwing to Europeans, beyond subsistence farming. Shortwy after de departure of de Mayfwower, Governor Carver suddenwy died. Wiwwiam Bradford was ewected to repwace him and went on to wead de cowony drough much of its formative years.
As promised by Massasoit, numerous Native Americans arrived at Pwymouf droughout de middwe of 1621 wif pwedges of peace. On Juwy 2, a party of Piwgrims wed by Edward Winswow (who water became de chief dipwomat of de cowony) set out to continue negotiations wif de chief. The dewegation awso incwuded Sqwanto, who acted as a transwator. After travewing for severaw days, dey arrived at Massasoit's capitaw, de viwwage of Sowams near Narragansett Bay. After meaws and an exchange of gifts, Massasoit agreed to an excwusive trading pact wif de Engwish; dus, de French were no wonger wewcome, dough dey were awso freqwent traders in de area. Sqwanto remained behind and travewed droughout de area to estabwish trading rewations wif severaw tribes.
In wate Juwy, a boy named John Biwwington became wost for some time in de woods around de cowony. It was reported dat he was found by de Nauset, de same group of Native Americans on Cape Cod from whom de Piwgrims had unwittingwy stowen corn seed de prior year upon deir first expworations. The Engwish organized a party to return Biwwington to Pwymouf. The Piwgrims agreed to reimburse de Nauset for de corn which dey had taken in return for de Biwwington boy. This negotiation did much to secure furder peace wif de Native Americans in de area.
During deir deawings wif de Nausets over de rewease of John Biwwington, de Piwgrims wearned of troubwes dat Massasoit was experiencing. Massasoit, Sqwanto, and severaw oder Wampanoags had been captured by Corbitant, sachem of de Narragansett tribe. A party of ten men under de weadership of Mywes Standish set out to find and execute Corbitant. Whiwe hunting for Corbitant, dey wearned dat Sqwanto had escaped and Massasoit was back in power. Severaw Native Americans had been injured by Standish and his men and were offered medicaw attention in Pwymouf. They had faiwed to capture Corbitant, but de show of force by Standish had garnered respect for de Piwgrims and, as a resuwt, nine of de most powerfuw sachems in de area signed a treaty in September, incwuding Massasoit and Corbitant, pwedging deir woyawty to King James.
In May 1622, a vessew named de Sparrow arrived carrying seven men from de Merchant Adventurers whose purpose was to seek out a site for a new settwement in de area. Two ships fowwowed shortwy dereafter carrying sixty settwers, aww men, uh-hah-hah-hah. They spent Juwy and August in Pwymouf before moving norf to settwe in modern Weymouf, Massachusetts at a settwement which dey named Wessagussett. The settwement of Wessagussett was short-wived, but it provided de spark for an event dat dramaticawwy changed de powiticaw wandscape between de wocaw Native American tribes and de Engwish settwers. Reports reached Pwymouf of a miwitary dreat to Wessagussett, and Mywes Standish organized a miwitia to defend dem. However, he found dat dere had been no attack. He derefore decided on a pre-emptive strike, an event which historian Nadaniew Phiwbrick cawws "Standish's raid". He wured two prominent Massachusett miwitary weaders into a house at Wessagussett under de pretense of sharing a meaw and making negotiations. Standish and his men den stabbed and kiwwed de two unsuspecting Native Americans. The wocaw sachem named Obtakiest was pursued by Standish and his men but escaped wif dree Engwish prisoners from Wessagussett, whom he den executed. Widin a short time, Wessagussett was disbanded, and de survivors were integrated into de town of Pwymouf.
Word qwickwy spread among de Native American tribes of Standish's attack; many Native Americans abandoned deir viwwages and fwed de area. As noted by Phiwbrick: "Standish's raid had irreparabwy damaged de human ecowogy of de region .... It was some time before a new eqwiwibrium came to de region, uh-hah-hah-hah." Edward Winswow reports in his 1624 memoirs Good News from New Engwand dat "dey forsook deir houses, running to and fro wike men distracted, wiving in swamps and oder desert pwaces, and so brought manifowd diseases amongst demsewves, whereof very many are dead". Lacking de trade in furs provided by de wocaw tribes, de Piwgrims wost deir main source of income for paying off deir debts to de Merchant Adventurers. Rader dan strengdening deir position, Standish's raid had disastrous conseqwences for de cowony, as attested by Wiwwiam Bradford in a wetter to de Merchant Adventurers: "[W]e had much damaged our trade, for dere where we had [de] most skins de Indians are run away from deir habitations". The onwy positive effect of Standish's raid seemed to be de increased power of de Massasoit-wed Wampanoag tribe, de Piwgrims' cwosest awwy in de region, uh-hah-hah-hah.
Growf of Pwymouf
|January 1630||awmost 300|
A second ship arrived in November 1621 named de Fortune, sent by de Merchant Adventurers one year after de Piwgrims first set foot in New Engwand. It arrived wif 37 new settwers for Pwymouf. However, de ship had arrived unexpectedwy and awso widout many suppwies, so de additionaw settwers put a strain on de resources of de cowony. Among de passengers of de Fortune were severaw additionaw peopwe of de originaw Leiden congregation, incwuding Wiwwiam Brewster's son Jonadan, Edward Winswow's broder John, and Phiwip Dewano (de famiwy name was earwier "de wa Noye") whose descendants incwude President Frankwin Dewano Roosevewt. The Fortune awso carried a wetter from de Merchant Adventurers chastising de cowony for faiwure to return goods wif de Mayfwower dat had been promised in return for deir support. The Fortune began its return to Engwand waden wif £500 worf of goods (eqwivawent to £78 dousand in 2010, or $119 dousand at PPP), more dan enough to keep de cowonists on scheduwe for repayment of deir debt. However, de Fortune was captured by de French before she couwd dewiver her cargo to Engwand, creating an even warger deficit for de cowony.
In Juwy 1623, two more ships arrived: de Anne, under de command of Captain "Master" Wiwwiam Peirce and Master John Bridges; and de Littwe James, under de command of Captain Emanuew Awdam. These ships carried 96 new settwers, among dem Leideners, incwuding Wiwwiam Bradford's future wife Awice, and Wiwwiam and Mary Brewster's daughters Patience and Fear. Some of de passengers who arrived on de Anne were eider unprepared for frontier wife or undesirabwe additions to de cowony and returned to Engwand de next year. According to Gweason Archer, "dose who remained were not wiwwing to join de cowony under de terms of de agreement wif de Merchant Adventurers. They had embarked for America upon an understanding wif de Adventurers dat dey might settwe in a community of deir own, or at weast be free from de bonds by which de Pwymouf cowonists were enswaved. A wetter addressed to de cowonists and signed by dirteen of de merchants recited dese facts and urged acceptance of de new comers on de specified terms." The new arrivaws were awwotted wand in de area of de Eew River, known as Hobs Howe, which became Wewwingswey, a miwe souf of Pwymouf Rock.
In September 1623, anoder ship arrived carrying settwers destined to refound de faiwed cowony at Weymouf, and dey stayed temporariwy at Pwymouf. In March 1624, a ship arrived bearing a few additionaw settwers and de first cattwe. A 1627 division of cattwe wists 156 cowonists divided into twewve wots of dirteen cowonists each. Anoder ship arrived in August 1629, awso named de Mayfwower, wif 35 additionaw members of de Leiden congregation, uh-hah-hah-hah. Ships arrived droughout de period between 1629 and 1630 carrying new settwers, dough de exact number is unknown; contemporaneous documents cwaimed dat, by January 1630, de cowony had awmost 300 peopwe. In 1643, de cowony had an estimated 600 mawes fit for miwitary service, impwying a totaw popuwation of about 2,000. By 1690, on de eve of de dissowution of de cowony, de estimated totaw popuwation of Pwymouf County, de most popuwous, was 3,055 peopwe. It is estimated dat de entire popuwation of de cowony at de point of its dissowution was around 7,000. For comparison, it is estimated dat more dan 20,000 settwers had arrived in Massachusetts Bay Cowony between 1630 and 1640 (a period known as de Great Migration), and de Engwish popuwation of aww New Engwand was estimated to be about 60,000 by 1678. Pwymouf was de first cowony in de region but, by de time of its annexation, it was much smawwer dan Massachusetts Bay Cowony.
Mywes Standish was de miwitary weader of Pwymouf Cowony from de beginning. He organized and wed de first party to set foot in New Engwand, an expworatory expedition of Cape Cod upon arrivaw in Provincetown Harbor. He awso wed de dird expedition, during which Standish fired de first recorded shot by de Piwgrim settwers in an event known as de First Encounter. Standish had training in miwitary engineering from de University of Leiden, and it was he who decided de defensive wayout of de settwement when dey finawwy arrived at Pwymouf. Standish awso organized de abwe-bodied men into miwitary orders in February of de first winter. During de second winter, he hewped design and organize de construction of a warge pawisade waww surrounding de settwement. Standish wed two earwy miwitary raids on Indian viwwages: de raid to find and punish Corbitant for his attempted coup, and de kiwwing at Wessagussett cawwed "Standish's raid". The former had de desired effect of gaining de respect of de wocaw Indians; de watter onwy served to frighten and scatter dem, resuwting in woss of trade and income.
The first major war in New Engwand was de Peqwot War of 1637. The war's roots go back to 1632, when a dispute arose between Dutch fur traders and Pwymouf officiaws over controw of de Connecticut River Vawwey near modern Hartford, Connecticut. Representatives from de Dutch East India Company and Pwymouf Cowony bof had deeds which cwaimed dat dey had rightfuwwy purchased de wand from de Peqwots. A sort of wand rush occurred as settwers from Massachusetts Bay and Pwymouf cowonies tried to beat de Dutch in settwing de area; de infwux of Engwish settwers awso dreatened de Peqwot. Oder confederations in de area sided wif de Engwish, incwuding de Narragansetts and Mohegans, who were de traditionaw enemies of de Peqwots. The event dat sparked formaw hostiwities was de capture of a boat and de murder of its captain John Owdham in 1636, an event bwamed on awwies of de Peqwots. In Apriw 1637, a raid on a Peqwot viwwage by John Endicott wed to a retawiatory raid by Peqwot warriors on de town of Wedersfiewd, Connecticut, where some 30 Engwish settwers were kiwwed. This wed to a furder retawiation, where a raid wed by Captain John Underhiww and Captain John Mason burned a Peqwot viwwage to de ground near modern Mystic, Connecticut, kiwwing 300 Peqwots. Pwymouf Cowony had wittwe to do wif de actuaw fighting in de war.
When it appeared dat de war wouwd resume, four of de New Engwand cowonies (Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, New Haven, and Pwymouf) formed a defensive compact known as de United Cowonies of New Engwand. Edward Winswow was awready known for his dipwomatic skiwws, and he was de chief architect of de United Cowonies. His experience in de United Provinces of de Nederwands during de Leiden years was key to organizing de confederation, uh-hah-hah-hah. John Adams water considered de United Cowonies to be de prototype for de Articwes of Confederation, which was de first attempt at a nationaw government.
King Phiwip's War
King Phiwip was de younger son of Massasoit and de heir of Massasoit's position as sachem of de Pokanoket and supreme weader of de Wampanoag. (He was awso known as Metacomet and oder variations on dat name.) He became sachem upon de sudden deaf of his owder broder Wamsutta, awso known as Awexander, in 1662.
The cause of de war stems from de increasing numbers of Engwish cowonists and deir demand for wand. As more wand was purchased from de Native Americans, dey were restricted to smawwer territories for demsewves. Native American weaders such as King Phiwip resented de woss of wand and wooked for a means to swow or reverse it. Of specific concern was de founding of de town of Swansea, which was wocated onwy a few miwes from de Wampanoag capitaw at Mount Hope. The Generaw Court of Pwymouf began using miwitary force to coerce de sawe of Wampanoag wand to de settwers of de town, uh-hah-hah-hah.
The proximate cause of de confwict was de deaf of a Praying Indian named John Sassamon in 1675. Sassamon had been an advisor and friend to King Phiwip; however, Sassamon's conversion to Christianity had driven de two apart. Accused in de murder of Sassamon were some of Phiwip's most senior wieutenants. A jury of twewve Engwishmen and six Praying Indians found de Native Americans guiwty of murder and sentenced dem to deaf. To dis day, some debate exists wheder King Phiwip's men actuawwy committed de murder.
Phiwip had awready begun war preparations at his home base near Mount Hope where he started raiding Engwish farms and piwwaging deir property. In response, Governor Josiah Winswow cawwed out de miwitia, and dey organized and began to move on Phiwip's position, uh-hah-hah-hah. King Phiwip's men attacked unarmed women and chiwdren in order to receive a ransom. One such attack resuwted in de capture of Mary Rowwandson. The memoirs of her capture provided historians wif much information on Native American cuwture during dis time period.
The war continued drough de rest of 1675 and into de next year. The Engwish were constantwy frustrated by de Native Americans' refusaw to meet dem in pitched battwe. They empwoyed a form of gueriwwa warfare dat confounded de Engwish. Captain Benjamin Church continuouswy campaigned to enwist de hewp of friendwy Native Americans to hewp wearn how to fight on an even footing wif Phiwip's warrior bands, but he was constantwy rebuffed by de Pwymouf weadership who mistrusted aww Native Americans, dinking dem potentiaw enemies. Eventuawwy, Governor Winswow and Pwymouf miwitary commander Major Wiwwiam Bradford (son of de wate Governor Wiwwiam Bradford) rewented and gave Church permission to organize a combined force of Engwish and Native Americans. After securing de awwiance of de Sakonnet, he wed his combined force in pursuit of Phiwip, who had dus far avoided any major battwes in de war dat bears his name. Throughout Juwy 1676, Church's band captured hundreds of Native American warriors, often widout much of a fight, dough Phiwip ewuded him. Church was given permission to grant amnesty to any captured Native Americans who wouwd agree to join de Engwish side, and his force grew immensewy. Phiwip was kiwwed by a Pocasset Indian, and de war soon ended as an overwhewming Engwish victory.
Eight percent of de Engwish aduwt mawe popuwation is estimated to have died during de war, a rader warge percentage by most standards. The impact on de Native Americans was far higher, however. So many were kiwwed, fwed, or shipped off as swaves dat de entire Native American popuwation of New Engwand feww by sixty to eighty percent.
In 1686, de entire region was reorganized under a singwe government known as de Dominion of New Engwand; dis incwuded de cowonies of Pwymouf, Rhode Iswand, Massachusetts Bay, Connecticut, and New Hampshire. In 1688, New York, West Jersey, and East Jersey were added. The President of de Dominion Edmund Andros was highwy unpopuwar, and de union did not wast. The union was dissowved after news of de Gworious Revowution reached Boston in Apriw 1689, and de citizens of Boston rose up and arrested Andros. When news of dese events reached Pwymouf, its magistrates recwaimed power.
The return of sewf-ruwe for Pwymouf Cowony was short-wived, however. A dewegation of New Engwanders wed by Increase Mader went to Engwand to negotiate a return of de cowoniaw charters dat had been nuwwified during de Dominion years. The situation was particuwarwy probwematic for Pwymouf Cowony, as it had existed widout a formaw charter since its founding. Pwymouf did not get deir wish for a formaw charter; instead, a new charter was issued, combining Pwymouf Cowony, Massachusetts Bay Cowony, and oder territories. The officiaw date of de procwamation was October 17, 1691, ending de existence of Pwymouf Cowony, dough it was not put into force untiw de arrivaw of de charter of de Province of Massachusetts Bay on May 14, 1692, carried by de new royaw governor Sir Wiwwiam Phips. The wast officiaw meeting of de Pwymouf Generaw Court occurred on June 8, 1692.
The most important rewigious figure in de cowony was John Robinson, an originaw pastor of de Scrooby congregation and rewigious weader of de separatists droughout de Leiden years. He never actuawwy set foot in New Engwand, but many of his deowogicaw pronouncements shaped de nature and character of de Pwymouf church. For exampwe, Robinson stated dat women and men have different sociaw rowes according to a waw of nature, dough neider was wesser in de eyes of God. Robinson taught dat men and women have distinct but compwementary rowes in church, home, and society as a whowe. He referred to women as de "weaker vessew". In matters of rewigious understanding, he procwaimed dat it was de man's rowe to educate and "guide and go before" women, uh-hah-hah-hah. He awso said dat women shouwd be "subject" to deir husbands. Robinson awso dictated de proper medods of chiwd rearing—he prescribed a strict upbringing wif a strong emphasis on corporaw punishment. He bewieved dat a chiwd's naturaw incwination towards independence was a manifestation of originaw sin and shouwd dus be repressed.
The Piwgrims demsewves were a subset of an Engwish rewigious movement known as Puritanism, which sought to "purify" de Angwican Church of its "Cadowic" trappings. The movement sought to return de church to its originaw state and to practice Christianity as was done in de times of de Apostwes. Fowwowing Martin Luder's and John Cawvin's Reformation, Puritans bewieved dat de Bibwe was de onwy true source of rewigious teaching and dat any additions made to Christianity had no pwace in Christian practice, especiawwy wif regard to church traditions, such as cwericaw vestments or de use of Latin in church services. In particuwar, dey were strongwy opposed to de Angwicans' episcopaw form of church government. They bewieved dat de church was a community of Christians who made a covenant wif God and wif one anoder. Their congregations had a democratic structure. Ministers, teachers, and way church ewders were ewected by and responsibwe to de entire congregation (Cawvinist Federawism). Each congregation was independent of aww de oders and directwy subject to God's (or Christ's) government (deocracy), hence de name Congregationawism. The Piwgrims distinguished demsewves from de Puritans in dat dey sought to "separate" demsewves from de Angwican Church, rader dan reform it from widin, uh-hah-hah-hah. It was dis desire to worship from outside of de Angwican Communion dat wed dem first to de Nederwands and uwtimatewy to New Engwand.
Each town in de cowony was considered a singwe church congregation; in water years, some of de warger towns spwit into two or dree congregations. Church attendance was mandatory for aww residents of de cowony, whiwe church membership was restricted to dose who had converted to de faif. In Pwymouf Cowony, it seems dat a simpwe profession of faif was aww dat was reqwired for acceptance. This was a more wiberaw doctrine dan some oder New Engwand congregations, such as dose of de Massachusetts Bay Cowony, where it was common to subject dose seeking formaw membership to strict and detaiwed cross-examinations. There was no centraw governing body for de churches. Each individuaw congregation was weft to determine its own standards of membership, hire its own ministers, and conduct its own business.
The church was undoubtedwy de most important sociaw institution in de cowony. The Bibwe was de primary rewigious document of de society, and it awso served as de primary wegaw document. Church attendance was not onwy mandatory, but membership was sociawwy vitaw. Education was carried out for awmost purewy rewigious purposes. The waws of de cowony specificawwy asked parents to provide for de education of deir chiwdren, "at weast to be abwe duwy to read de Scriptures" and to understand "de main Grounds and Principwes of Christian Rewigion". It was expected dat de mawe head of de househowd wouwd be responsibwe for de rewigious weww-being of aww its members, chiwdren and servants awike.
Most churches used two acts to sanction its members: censure and excommunication. Censure was a formaw reprimand for behavior dat did not conform wif accepted rewigious and sociaw norms, whiwe excommunication invowved fuww removaw from church membership. Many perceived sociaw eviws, from fornication to pubwic drunkenness, were deawt wif drough church discipwine rader dan drough civiw punishment. Church sanctions sewdom hewd officiaw recognition outside church membership and sewdom resuwted in civiw or criminaw proceedings. Neverdewess, such sanctions were a powerfuw toow of sociaw controw.
Marriage was considered a civiw ceremony, rader dan a rewigious one. Such an arrangement may have been a habit dat had devewoped during de Leiden years, as civiw marriage was common in de Nederwands. However, de Piwgrims saw dis arrangement as bibwicaw, dere being no evidence from Scripture dat a minister shouwd preside over a wedding.
Besides de deowogy espoused by deir rewigious weaders, de peopwe of Pwymouf Cowony had a strong bewief in de supernaturaw. Richard Greenham was a Puritan deowogian whose works were known to de Pwymouf residents, and he counsewed extensivewy against turning to magic or wizardry to sowve probwems. The Piwgrims saw Satan's work in nearwy every cawamity dat befeww dem; de dark magicaw arts were very reaw and present for dem. They bewieved in de presence of mawevowent spirits who brought misfortune to peopwe. For exampwe, in 1660, a court inqwest into de drowning deaf of Jeremiah Burroughs determined dat a possessed canoe was to bwame. Massachusetts Bay Cowony experienced an outbreak of witchcraft scares in de 17f century, but dere is wittwe evidence dat Pwymouf was enguwfed in anyding simiwar. Witchcraft was wisted as a capitaw crime in de 1636 codification of de waws by de Pwymouf Generaw Court, but dere were no actuaw convictions of witches in Pwymouf Cowony. The court records onwy show two formaw accusations of witchcraft. The first, of Goodwife Howmes in 1661, never went to triaw. The second, of Mary Ingram in 1677, resuwted in triaw and acqwittaw.
Marriage and famiwy wife
Edward Winswow and Susanna White bof wost deir spouses during de harsh winter of 1620–1621, and de two became de first coupwe to be married in Pwymouf. Governor Bradford presided over de civiw ceremony.
In Pwymouf Cowony, "courtships were usuawwy initiated by de young peopwe demsewves, but as a rewationship progressed toward someding more permanent, de parents became more directwy invowved." Parents were concerned wif de moraw and rewigious qwawities of de proposed spouse, as weww as de financiaw means of each party's famiwy. The first step toward marriage was generawwy a betrodaw or pre-contract, a ceremony carried out before two witnesses in which de coupwe pwedged to wed in due time. Severaw weeks or monds after de betrodaw was contracted, de coupwe's intentions were pubwished. "A betroded coupwe was considered to have a speciaw status, not married but no wonger unmarried eider." Sexuaw contact was prohibited between a betroded coupwe, but de penawty for it was one-fourf of what it was for singwe persons, and records indicate a rewativewy high number of babies born wess dan nine monds after a wedding ceremony.
Marriage was considered de normaw state for aww aduwt residents of de cowony. Most men first married in deir mid-twenties and women around age 20. Second marriages were not uncommon, and widows and widowers faced sociaw and economic pressures to remarry. On average, most widows and widowers remarried widin six monds to a year. Most aduwts who reached marriageabwe age wived into deir sixties, so effectivewy two-dirds of a person's wife was spent married.
Women in Pwymouf Cowony had more extensive wegaw and sociaw rights compared to 17f-century European norms. Women were considered eqwaw to men before God from de perspective of de Church. God's grace was avaiwabwe eqwawwy to aww professed Christians. Women were, however, expected to take traditionawwy feminine rowes, such as chiwd-rearing and maintaining de househowd, in Puritan famiwies.
Pwymouf women enjoyed extensive property and wegaw rights, unwike in Europe where women had few rights. A wife in Pwymouf couwd not be wegawwy "written out" of her husband's wiww and was guaranteed a fuww dird of de famiwy's property upon his deaf. Women were parties to contracts in Pwymouf, most notabwy prenuptiaw agreements. It was common for brides-to-be (and not, notabwy, deir faders) to enter into contractuaw agreements on de consowidation of property upon marriage. In some cases, especiawwy in second marriages, women were given excwusive right to retain controw of deir property separatewy from deir husbands. Women were awso known to occasionawwy sit on juries in Pwymouf, a remarkabwe circumstance in seventeenf century wegaw practice. Historians James and Patricia Scott Deetz cite a 1678 inqwest into de deaf of Anne Batson's chiwd, where de jury was composed of five women and seven men, uh-hah-hah-hah.
Famiwy size in de cowony was warge by modern American standards, dough chiwdbirf was often spaced out, wif an average of two years between chiwdren, uh-hah-hah-hah. Most famiwies averaged five to six chiwdren wiving under de same roof, dough it wouwd not be uncommon for one famiwy to have grown chiwdren moving out before de moder had finished giving birf. Maternaw mortawity rates were fairwy high; one birf in dirty resuwted in de deaf of de moder, resuwting in one in five women dying in chiwdbirf. However, "de rate of infant mortawity in Pwymouf seems to have been rewativewy wow. In de case of a few famiwies for which dere are unusuawwy compwete records, onwy about one in five chiwdren seems to have died before de age of twenty-one. Furdermore, birds in de sampwe [of about 90 famiwies] come for de most part wif rewativewy few 'gaps' which might indicate a baby who did not survive. Aww dings considered, it appears dat de rate of infant and chiwd mortawity in Pwymouf was no more dan 25 per cent".
Chiwdhood, adowescence, and education
Chiwdren generawwy remained in de direct care of deir moders untiw de age of about eight years owd, after which time it was not uncommon for de chiwd to be pwaced in de foster care of anoder famiwy. There were any number of reasons for a chiwd to be "put-out" in dis manner. Some chiwdren were pwaced into househowds to wearn a trade, oders to be taught to read and write. It seems dat dere was a deowogicaw reason for fostering chiwdren, as wif awmost every decision in de cowony. It was assumed dat chiwdren's own parents wouwd wove dem too much and wouwd not properwy discipwine dem. By pwacing chiwdren in de care of anoder famiwy, dere was wittwe danger of dem being spoiwed.
Adowescence was not a recognized phase of wife in Pwymouf cowony, and dere was not a singwe rite of passage dat marked transition from youf to aduwdood. Severaw important transitions occurred at various ages, but none marked a singwe "coming of age" event. As earwy as eight years owd, chiwdren were expected to begin wearning deir aduwt rowes in wife by taking on some of de famiwy work or by being pwaced in foster homes to wearn a trade. Most chiwdren experienced rewigious conversion around de age of eight as weww, dus becoming church members. Orphaned chiwdren were given de right to choose deir own guardians at age 14. At 16, mawes became ewigibwe for miwitary duty and were awso considered aduwts for wegaw purposes, such as standing triaw for crimes. Age 21 was de youngest at which a mawe couwd become a freeman, dough for practicaw purposes dis occurred some time in a man's mid-twenties. Twenty-one was de assumed age of inheritance, as weww, awdough de waw respected de rights of de deceased to name an earwier age in his wiww.
Actuaw schoows were rare in Pwymouf cowony. The first true schoow was not founded untiw 40 years after de foundation of de cowony. The Generaw Court first audorized cowony-wide funding for formaw pubwic schoowing in 1673, but onwy de town of Pwymouf made use of dese funds at dat time. By 1683, dough, five additionaw towns had received dis funding.
Education of de young was never considered to be de primary domain of schoows, even after dey had become more common, uh-hah-hah-hah. Most education was carried out by a chiwd's parents or foster parents. Formaw apprenticeships were not de norm in Pwymouf; it was expected dat a foster famiwy wouwd teach de chiwdren whatever trades dey demsewves practiced. The church awso pwayed a centraw rowe in a chiwd's education, uh-hah-hah-hah. As noted above, de primary purpose of teaching chiwdren to read was so dat dey couwd read de Bibwe for demsewves.
Government and waws
Pwymouf Cowony did not have a royaw charter audorizing it to form a government, yet some means of governance was needed. The Mayfwower Compact was de cowony's first governing document, signed by de 41 abwe-bodied Separatists aboard de Mayfwower upon deir arrivaw in Provincetown Harbor on November 21, 1620. Formaw waws were not codified untiw 1636. The cowony's waws were based on a hybrid of Engwish common waw and rewigious waw as waid out in de Bibwe. The cowoniaw audorities were deepwy infwuenced by Cawvinist deowogy, and were convinced dat democracy was de form of government mandated by God.
The cowony offered nearwy aww aduwt mawes potentiaw citizenship. Fuww citizens, or "freemen", were accorded fuww rights and priviweges in areas such as voting and howding office. To be considered a freeman, aduwt mawes had to be sponsored by an existing freeman and accepted by de Generaw Court. Later restrictions estabwished a one-year waiting period between nominating and granting of freeman status, and awso pwaced rewigious restrictions on de cowony's citizens, specificawwy preventing Quakers from becoming freemen, uh-hah-hah-hah. Freeman status was awso restricted by age; de officiaw minimum age was 21, awdough in practice most men were ewevated to freeman status between de ages of 25 and 40, averaging somewhere in deir earwy dirties.
The cowony estabwished a mawe disabwed veterans' fund in 1636 to support veterans who returned from service wif disabiwities. In 1641, de Body of Liberties devewoped protections for peopwe who were unabwe to perform pubwic service. Anoder waw was devewoped to protect married women, chiwdren, and peopwe wif cognitive disabiwities from making financiaw decisions. This was created as dese groups were considered "mentawwy incapabwe of making sound financiaw decisions".
|Governors of Pwymouf Cowony|
The cowony's most powerfuw executive was its Governor, who was originawwy ewected by de freemen, but was water appointed by de Generaw Court in an annuaw ewection, uh-hah-hah-hah. The Generaw Court awso ewected seven "Assistants" to form a cabinet to assist de governor. The Governor and Assistants den appointed "Constabwes" who served as de chief administrators for de towns, and "Messengers" who were de main civiw servants of de cowony. They were responsibwe for pubwishing announcements, performing wand surveys, carrying out executions, and a host of oder duties.
The Generaw Court was bof de chief wegiswative and judiciaw body of de cowony. It was ewected by de freemen from among deir own number and met reguwarwy in Pwymouf, de capitaw town of de cowony. As part of its judiciaw duties, it wouwd periodicawwy caww a Grand Enqwest, which was a grand jury of sorts, ewected from de freemen, who wouwd hear compwaints and swear out indictments for credibwe accusations. The Generaw Court, and water wesser town and county courts, wouwd preside over triaws of accused criminaws and over civiw matters, but de uwtimate decisions were made by a jury of freemen, uh-hah-hah-hah.
The Generaw Court, as de wegiswative and judiciaw bodies, and de Governor, as de chief executive of de cowony, constituted a powiticaw system of division of power. It fowwowed a recommendation in John Cawvin's powiticaw deory to set up severaw institutions which compwement and controw each oder in a system of checks and bawances in order to avoid, or at weast to minimize, de misuse of powiticaw power. In 1625, de settwers had repaid deir debts and dus gained compwete possession of de cowony. The cowony was de facto a repubwic, since neider an Engwish company nor de King and Parwiament exerted any infwuence—a representative democracy governed on de principwes of de Mayfwower Compact ("sewf-ruwe").
As a wegiswative body, de Generaw Court couwd make procwamations of waw as needed. These waws were not formawwy compiwed anywhere in de earwy years of de cowony; dey were first organized and pubwished in de 1636 Book of Laws. The book was reissued in 1658, 1672, and 1685. These waws incwuded de wevying of "rates" or taxes and de distribution of cowony wands. The Generaw Court estabwished townships as a means of providing wocaw government over settwements, but reserved for itsewf de right to controw specific distribution of wand to individuaws widin dose towns. When new wand was granted to a freeman, it was directed dat onwy de person to whom de wand was granted was awwowed to settwe it. It was forbidden for individuaw settwers to purchase wand from Native Americans widout formaw permission from de Generaw Court. The government recognized de precarious peace dat existed wif de Wampanoag, and wished to avoid antagonizing dem by buying up aww of deir wand.
The waws awso set out crimes and deir associated punishment. There were severaw crimes dat carried de deaf penawty: treason, murder, witchcraft, arson, sodomy, rape, bestiawity, aduwtery, and cursing or smiting one's parents. The actuaw exercise of de deaf penawty was fairwy rare; onwy one sex-rewated crime resuwted in execution, a 1642 incidence of bestiawity by Thomas Granger. Edward Bumpus was sentenced to deaf for "striking and abusing his parents" in 1679, but his sentence was commuted to a severe whipping by reason of insanity. Perhaps de most notabwe use of de deaf penawty was in de execution of de Native Americans convicted of de murder of John Sassamon; dis hewped wead to King Phiwip's War. Though nominawwy a capitaw crime, aduwtery was usuawwy deawt wif by pubwic humiwiation onwy. Convicted aduwterers were often forced to wear de wetters "A.D." sewn into deir garments, much in de manner of Hester Prynne in Nadaniew Hawdorne's novew The Scarwet Letter.
Severaw waws deawt wif indentured servitude, a wegaw status whereby a person wouwd work off debts or be given training in exchange for a period of unrecompensed service. The waw reqwired dat aww indentured servants had to be registered by de Governor or one of de Assistants, and dat no period of indenture couwd be wess dan six monds. Furder waws forbade a master from shortening de wengf of time of service reqwired for his servant, and awso confirmed dat any indentured servants whose period of service began in Engwand wouwd stiww be reqwired to compwete deir service whiwe in Pwymouf.
The seaw of de Pwymouf Cowony was designed in 1629 and is stiww used by de town of Pwymouf. It depicts four figures widin a shiewd bearing St George's Cross, apparentwy in Native-American stywe cwoding, each carrying de burning heart symbow of John Cawvin. The seaw was awso used by de County of Pwymouf untiw 1931.
Widout a cwear wand patent for de area, de settwers settwed widout a charter to form a government and, as a resuwt, it was often uncwear in de earwy years what wand was under de cowony's jurisdiction, uh-hah-hah-hah. In 1644, "The Owd Cowony Line"—which had been surveyed in 1639—was formawwy accepted as de boundary between Massachusetts Bay and Pwymouf.
The situation was more compwicated awong de border wif Rhode Iswand. Roger Wiwwiams settwed in de area of Rehobof in 1636, near modern Pawtucket. He was forcibwy evicted in order to maintain Pwymouf's cwaim to de area. Wiwwiams moved to de west side of de Pawtucket River to found de settwement of Providence, de nucweus for de cowony of Rhode Iswand, which was formawwy estabwished wif de "Providence Pwantations Patent" of 1644. Various settwers from bof Rhode Iswand and Pwymouf began to settwe awong de area, and de exact nature of de western boundary of Pwymouf became uncwear. The issue was not fuwwy resowved untiw de 1740s, wong after de dissowution of Pwymouf Cowony itsewf. Rhode Iswand had received a patent for de area in 1693, which had been disputed by Massachusetts Bay Cowony. Rhode Iswand successfuwwy defended de patent, and a royaw decree in 1746 transferred de wand to Rhode Iswand awong de eastern shore of de Narragansett Bay, incwuding de mainwand portion of Newport County and aww of modern Bristow County, Rhode Iswand. The border itsewf continued to be contested by Massachusetts, first as a cowony and water as a state, untiw as wate as 1898, when de boundary was settwed and ratified by bof states.
Counties and towns
For most of its history, de town was de primary administrative unit and powiticaw division of de cowony. Pwymouf Cowony was not formawwy divided into counties untiw June 2, 1685, during de reorganization dat wed to de formation of de Dominion of New Engwand. Three counties were composed of de fowwowing towns.
- Barnstabwe, de shire town (county seat) of de county, first settwed in 1639 and incorporated 1650.
- Easdam, site of de "First Encounter", first settwed 1644 and incorporated as de town of Nauset in 1646, name changed to Easdam in 1651.
- Fawmouf, first settwed in 1661 and incorporated as Succonesset in 1686.
- Rochester, settwed 1638, incorporated 1686.
- Sandwich, first settwed in 1637 and incorporated in 1639.
- Yarmouf, incorporated 1639.
- Taunton, de shire town of de county, incorporated 1639.
- Bristow, incorporated 1680 and incwuding de former wocations of Sowams and Montaup (Mount Hope), which were Massasoit's and King Phiwip's capitaws, respectivewy. Ceded to Rhode Iswand in 1746 and is now part of Bristow County, Rhode Iswand.
- Dartmouf, incorporated 1664. Dartmouf was de site of a significant massacre by de Indian forces during King Phiwip's War. It was awso de wocation of a surrender of a group of some 160 of Phiwip's forces who were water sowd into swavery.
- Freetown, incorporated 1683, originawwy known as "Freemen's Land" by its first settwers.
- Littwe Compton, incorporated as Sakonnet in 1682, ceded to Rhode Iswand in 1746 and is now part of Newport County, Rhode Iswand.
- Rehobof, first settwed 1644 and incorporated 1645. Nearby to, but distinct from de Rehobof settwement of Roger Wiwwiams, which is now de town of Pawtucket, Rhode Iswand.
- Swansea, founded as de township of Wannamoiset in 1667, incorporated as town of Swansea in 1668. It was here dat de first Engwish casuawty occurred in King Phiwip's War.
- Pwymouf, de shire town of de county and capitaw of de cowony. This was de originaw 1620 settwement of de Mayfwower Piwgrims, and continued as de wargest and most significant settwement in de cowony untiw its dissowution in 1691.
- Bridgewater, purchased from Massasoit by Mywes Standish, and originawwy named Duxburrow New Pwantation, it was incorporated as Bridgewater in 1656.
- Duxbury, founded by Mywes Standish, it was incorporated in 1637. Oder notabwe residents of Duxbury incwuded John Awden, Wiwwiam Brewster, and Governor Thomas Prence.
- Marshfiewd, settwed 1632, incorporated 1640. Home to Governor Edward Winswow. Awso home to Josiah Winswow, who was governor of de cowony during King Phiwip's War, and to Peregrine White, de first Engwish chiwd born in New Engwand.
- Middweborough, incorporated 1669 as Middweberry. Named for its wocation as de hawfway point on de journey from Pwymouf to Mount Hope, de Wampanoag capitaw.
- Scituate, settwed 1628 and incorporated 1636. The town was de site of a major attack by King Phiwip's forces in 1676.
The Engwish in Pwymouf Cowony fit broadwy into dree categories: Piwgrims, Strangers, and Particuwars. The Piwgrims were a Protestant group dat cwosewy fowwowed de teachings of John Cawvin, wike de Puritans who water founded Massachusetts Bay Cowony to de norf. (The Puritans wished to reform de Angwican church from widin, whereas de Piwgrims saw it as a morawwy defunct organization, and sought to remove demsewves from it.) The name "Piwgrims" was actuawwy not used by de separatists demsewves. Wiwwiam Bradford used de term "piwgrims" to describe de group, but he was using de term genericawwy to define de group as travewers on a rewigious mission, uh-hah-hah-hah. The Piwgrims referred to demsewves as de Saints, First Comers, Ancient Bredren, or Ancient Men. They used such terms to indicate deir pwace as God's ewect, as dey subscribed to de Cawvinist bewief in predestination. "The First Comers" was a term more woosewy used in deir day to refer to any of de Mayfwower passengers.
There were awso a number of indentured servants among de cowonists. Indentured servants were mostwy poor chiwdren whose famiwies were receiving church rewief and "many homewess waifs from de streets of London sent as waborers".
In addition to de Piwgrims, de Mayfwower carried non-Piwgrim settwers ("Strangers"). This group incwuded de non-Piwgrim settwers pwaced on de Mayfwower by de Merchant Adventurers, and water settwers who came for oder reasons droughout de history of de cowony and who did not necessariwy adhere to de Piwgrim rewigious ideaws. A dird group known as de "Particuwars" consisted of water settwers who paid deir own "particuwar" way to America, and dus were not obwiged to pay de cowony's debts.
The presence of outsiders such as de Strangers and de Particuwars was a considerabwe annoyance to de Piwgrims. As earwy as 1623, a confwict broke out between de Piwgrims and de Strangers over de cewebration of Christmas, a day of no particuwar significance to de Piwgrims. Furdermore, a group of Strangers founded de nearby settwement of Wessagussett and de Piwgrims were highwy strained, bof emotionawwy and in terms of resources, by deir wack of discipwine. They wooked at de eventuaw faiwure of de Wessagussett settwement as Divine Providence against a sinfuw peopwe.
The residents of Pwymouf used terms to distinguish between de earwiest settwers of de cowony and dose dat came water. The first generation of settwers, generawwy dought to be dose dat arrived before 1627, cawwed demsewves de Owd Comers or Pwanters. Later generations of Pwymouf residents referred to dis group as de Forefaders.
A fairwy comprehensive demographic study was done by historian John Demos for his seminaw 1970 work on de Piwgrims A Littwe Commonweawf. He reports dat de cowony's average househowd grew from 7.8 chiwdren per famiwy for first-generation famiwies to 8.6 chiwdren for second-generation famiwies, and to 9.3 for dird-generation famiwies. Chiwd mortawity awso decreased over dis time, wif 7.2 chiwdren born to first-generation famiwies wiving untiw deir 21st birdday. That number increased to 7.9 chiwdren by de dird generation, uh-hah-hah-hah. Life expectancy was higher for men dan for women, uh-hah-hah-hah. Of de men who survived untiw de age of 21, de average wife expectancy was 69.2 years. Over 55 percent of dese men wived past 70; wess dan 15 percent died before de age of 50. For women, de numbers are much wower, owing to de difficuwties inherent in chiwdbearing. The average wife expectancy of women at de age of 21 was onwy 62.4 years. Of dese women, wess dan 45 percent wived past 70, and about 30 percent died before de age of 50.
During King Phiwip's War, Pwymouf Cowony awone wost eight percent of its aduwt mawe popuwation, uh-hah-hah-hah. By de end of de war, one-dird of New Engwand's approximatewy 100 towns had been burned and abandoned. This represented a sizabwe demographic effect on de Engwish popuwation of New Engwand.
The Native Americans in New Engwand were organized into woose tribaw confederations, sometimes cawwed "nations". Among dese confederations were de Nipmucks, de Massachusett, de Narragansett, de Niantics, de Mohegan, and de Wampanoag. Severaw significant events dramaticawwy awtered de demographics of de Native American popuwation in de region, uh-hah-hah-hah. The first was "Standish's raid" on Wessagussett, which frightened Native American weaders to de extent dat many abandoned deir settwements, resuwting in many deads drough starvation and disease. The second, de Peqwot War, resuwted in de dissowution of de Peqwot tribe and a major shift in de wocaw power structure. The dird, King Phiwip's War, had de most dramatic effect on wocaw popuwations, resuwting in de deaf or dispwacement of as much as 80% of de totaw number of Native Americans of soudern New Engwand and de enswavement and removaw of dousands of Native Americans to de Caribbean and oder wocawes.
Some of de weawdier famiwies in Pwymouf Cowony owned bwack swaves which were considered de property of deir owners, unwike indentured servants, and passed on to heirs wike any oder property. Swave ownership was not widespread and very few famiwies possessed de weawf necessary to own swaves. In 1674, de inventory of Capt. Thomas Wiwwet of Marshfiewd incwudes "8 Negroes" at a vawue of £200. Oder inventories of de time awso vawued swaves at £24–25 each (eqwivawent to £2.81 dousand in 2010, or $4,300 at PPP), weww out of de financiaw abiwity of most famiwies. A 1689 census of de town of Bristow shows dat, of de 70 famiwies dat wived dere, onwy one had a bwack swave. So few were bwack swaves in de cowony dat de Generaw Court never saw fit to pass any waws deawing wif dem.
The wargest source of weawf for Pwymouf Cowony was de fur trade. The disruption of dis trade caused by Mywes Standish's raid at Wessagussett created great hardship for de cowonists for many years to come, and was directwy cited by Wiwwiam Bradford as a contributing factor to de cowonists' economic difficuwties in deir earwy years. The cowonists attempted to suppwement deir income by fishing; de waters in Cape Cod bay were known to be excewwent fisheries. However, dey wacked any skiww in dis area, and it did wittwe to rewieve deir economic hardship. The cowony traded droughout de region, estabwishing trading posts as far away as Penobscot, Maine. They were awso freqwent trading partners wif de Dutch at New Amsterdam.
The economic situation improved wif de arrivaw of cattwe in de cowony. It is unknown when de first cattwe arrived, but de division of wand for de grazing of cattwe in 1627 represented one of de first moves towards private wand ownership in de cowony. Cattwe became an important source of weawf in de cowony; de average cow couwd seww for £28 in 1638 (£3,400 in 2010, or $5,200 at PPP). However, de fwood of immigrants during de Great Migration drove de price of cattwe down, uh-hah-hah-hah. The same cows sowd at £28 in 1638 were vawued in 1640 at onwy £5 (£700.00 in 2010, or $1,060 at PPP). Besides cattwe, dere were awso pigs, sheep, and goats raised in de cowony.
Agricuwture awso made up an important part of de Pwymouf economy. The cowonists adopted Native American agricuwturaw practices and crops. They pwanted maize, sqwash, pumpkins, beans, and potatoes. Besides de crops demsewves, de Piwgrims wearned productive farming techniqwes from de Native Americans, such as proper crop rotation and de use of dead fish to fertiwize de soiw. In addition to dese native crops, de cowonists awso successfuwwy pwanted Owd Worwd crops such as turnips, carrots, peas, wheat, barwey, and oats.
Overaww, dere was very wittwe cash in Pwymouf Cowony, so most weawf was accumuwated in de form of possessions. Trade goods such as furs, fish, and wivestock were subject to fwuctuations in price and were unrewiabwe repositories of weawf. Durabwe goods such as fine wares, cwodes, and furnishings represented an important source of economic stabiwity for de residents.
The events surrounding de founding and history of Pwymouf Cowony have had a wasting effect on de art, traditions, mydowogy, and powitics of de United States of America, despite its short history of fewer dan 72 years.
Art, witerature, and fiwm
The earwiest artistic depiction of de Piwgrims was actuawwy done before deir arrivaw in America; Dutch painter Adam Wiwwaerts painted a portrait of deir departure from Dewfshaven in 1620. The same scene was repainted by Robert Wawter Weir in 1844, and hangs in de Rotunda of de United States Capitow buiwding. Numerous oder paintings have been created memoriawizing various scenes from de wife of Pwymouf Cowony, incwuding deir wanding and de "First Thanksgiving", many of which have been cowwected by Piwgrim Haww, a museum and historicaw society founded in 1824 to preserve de history of de Cowony.
Severaw contemporaneous accounts of wife in Pwymouf Cowony have become bof vitaw primary historicaw documents and witerary cwassics. Of Pwimof Pwantation by Wiwwiam Bradford and Mourt's Rewation by Bradford, Edward Winswow, and oders are bof accounts written by Mayfwower passengers dat provide much of de information which we have today regarding de trans-Atwantic voyage and earwy years of de settwement.
Benjamin Church wrote severaw accounts of King Phiwip's War, incwuding Entertaining Passages Rewating to Phiwip's War, which remained popuwar droughout de 18f century. An edition of de work was iwwustrated by Pauw Revere in 1772. The Sovereignty and Goodness of God provides an account of King Phiwip's War from de perspective of Mary Rowwandson, an Engwishwoman who was captured and spent some time in de company of Native Americans during de war. Later works, such as "The Courtship of Miwes Standish" by Henry Wadsworf Longfewwow, have provided a romantic and partiawwy fictionawized account of wife in Pwymouf Cowony.
There are awso numerous fiwms about de Piwgrims, incwuding de severaw fiwm adaptations of "The Courtship of Miwes Standish"; de 1952 fiwm Pwymouf Adventure starring Spencer Tracy; and Desperate Crossings: The True Story of de Mayfwower, a 2006 tewevision documentary produced by de History Channew.
In 1970, de United States Postaw Service issued a dree hundred and fiftief year commemorative stamp recognizing de Engwish dissenters first wanding at de modern day settwement of Provincetown, Massachusetts in 1620.
Each year, de United States cewebrates a howiday known as Thanksgiving on de fourf Thursday of November. It is a federaw howiday and freqwentwy invowves a famiwy gadering wif a warge feast, traditionawwy featuring a turkey. Civic recognitions of de howiday typicawwy incwude parades and footbaww games. The howiday is meant to honor de First Thanksgiving, which was a harvest feast hewd in Pwymouf in 1621, as first recorded in de book New Engwand's Memoriaw by Nadaniew Morton, secretary of Pwymouf Cowony and nephew of Governor Wiwwiam Bradford.
The annuaw Thanksgiving howiday is a fairwy recent creation, uh-hah-hah-hah. Throughout de earwy 19f century, de U.S. government had decwared a particuwar day as a nationaw day of Thanksgiving, but dese were one-time decwarations meant to cewebrate a significant event, such as victory in a battwe. The nordeastern states began adopting an annuaw day of Thanksgiving in November shortwy after de end of de War of 1812. Sarah Josepha Hawe, editor of Boston's Ladies' Magazine, wrote editoriaws beginning in 1827 which cawwed for de nationwide expansion of dis annuaw day of danksgiving to commemorate de Piwgrim's first harvest feast. After nearwy 40 years, Abraham Lincown decwared de first modern Thanksgiving to faww on de wast Thursday in November in 1863. Frankwin Dewano Roosevewt and Congress uwtimatewy moved it to de fourf Thursday in November. After some sparring as to de date, de howiday was recognized by Congress as an officiaw federaw howiday in 1941.
Some of de modern traditions which have devewoped awongside de Thanksgiving howiday are de Nationaw Footbaww League's Thanksgiving Day games and de annuaw Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City.
One of de enduring symbows of de wanding of de Piwgrims is Pwymouf Rock, a warge granodiorite bouwder dat was near deir wanding site at Pwymouf. However, none of de contemporary accounts of de actuaw wanding makes any mention dat de Rock was de specific pwace of wanding. The Piwgrims chose de site for deir wanding, not for de rock, but for a smaww brook nearby dat was a source of fresh water and fish.
The first identification of Pwymouf Rock as de actuaw wanding site was in 1741 by 90-year-owd Thomas Faunce, whose fader had arrived in Pwymouf in 1623, dree years after de supposed event. The rock was water covered by a sowid-fiww pier. In 1774, an attempt was made to excavate de rock, but it broke in two. The severed piece was pwaced in de Town Sqware at de center of Pwymouf. In 1880, de intact hawf of de rock was excavated from de pier, and de broken piece was reattached to it. Over de years, souvenir hunters have removed chunks from de rock, but de remains are now protected as part of de compwex of wiving museums. These incwude de Mayfwower II, a recreation of de originaw ship; Pwimof Pwantation, a historicaw recreation of de originaw 1620 settwement; and de Wampanoag Homesite, which recreates a 17f-century Indian viwwage.
The democratic setup of Pwymouf Cowony had strong infwuences on de shaping of democracy in bof Engwand and America. Wiwwiam Bradford's History of Pwimof Pwantation was widewy read in de moderwand. It infwuenced de powiticaw dought of Presbyterian powitician and poet John Miwton, assistant to Owiver Cromweww, and phiwosopher John Locke. For exampwe, Locke referred to de Mayfwower Compact in his Letters Concerning Toweration. In America, Pwymouf Cowony initiated a democratic tradition dat was soon fowwowed by Massachusetts Bay Cowony (1628), Connecticut (1636), Rhode Iswand (1636), New Jersey, and Pennsywvania (1681). In de watter four cowonies, founded by Thomas Hooker, Roger Wiwwiams, and Wiwwiam Penn, respectivewy, rewigious freedom was added to democratic constitutions. These territories became safe havens for persecuted rewigious minorities. There were strong winks between 17f-century Puritanism and de powiticaw ideas of de 18f century. On de one hand, dere was de congregationaw democracy practiced now by aww Protestant churches, incwuding to a warge extent de Angwicans. On de oder hand, most of de powiticaw concepts of de generation dat carried out de Revowution were taken over from de radicaw Whig party in Engwand (Commonweawdmen), which fed on de wiberaw powiticaw deories of Miwton, Locke, and oder writers. As chiwdren de Revowutionaries had experienced de Great Awakening (c. 1740). In de words of historian Robert Middwekauff: "The Awakening recawwed a generation to de standards of reformed Protestantism, which had prevaiwed at de time of de founding of America. [...] Radicaw Whig perceptions of powitics attracted widespread support in America because dey revived de traditionaw concerns of a Protestant cuwture dat had awways verged on Puritanism. That moraw decay dreatened free government couwd not come as a surprise to a peopwe whose faders had fwed Engwand to escape sin, uh-hah-hah-hah. The importance of virtue, frugawity, industry, and cawwing was at de heart of deir moraw code. [...] Radicaw Whiggery of de eighteenf century convinced Americans because it had been pervasive in deir cuwture since de seventeenf."
The Mayfwower Society
The Generaw Society of Mayfwower Descendants, or The Mayfwower Society, is a geneawogicaw organization of individuaws who have documented deir descents from one or more of de 102 passengers who arrived on de Mayfwower in 1620. The Society, founded at Pwymouf in 1897, cwaims dat tens of miwwions of Americans descend from dese passengers, and it offers research services to peopwe seeking to document such descents.
- Engwish cowoniaw empire
- European cowonization of de Americas
- British cowonization of de Americas
- Cowoniaw America
- Pwantation (settwement or cowony)
- List of cowoniaw governors of Massachusetts (incwudes Pwymouf)
- Awexander Standish House
- Buriaw Hiww, site of de first fort at New Pwymouf, originawwy known as Fort Hiww
- Cowe's Hiww, contained de originaw cemetery at New Pwymouf, water moved to Buriaw Hiww
- First Parish Church in Pwymouf, de modern descendant of de Scrooby congregation dat founded Pwymouf Cowony
- First Parish Church (Duxbury, Massachusetts), anoder earwy congregation founded by de Piwgrims
- Harwow Owd Fort House, a private house buiwt in 1677 in Pwymouf, partiawwy out of timbers of de originaw fort buiwt in 1621
- Jabez Howwand House
- Jenney Grist Miww
- John and Prisciwwa Awden Famiwy Sites
- Leyden Street, cwaimed to be de first street in Pwymouf Cowony
- Mywes Standish Buriaw Ground contains remains of severaw important Piwgrims, incwuding Mywes Standish
- Pwymouf Viwwage Historic District
- Town Brook Historic and Archeowogicaw District
Monuments and oder commemorations
- Mywes Standish Monument State Reservation
- Nationaw Monument to de Forefaders
- Piwgrim Haww Museum
- Piwgrim Monument
- Pwimof Pwantation
- Pwymouf Antiqwarian Society
- Pwymouf Rock
- Patricia Scott Deetz; James F. Deetz (2000). "Passengers on de Mayfwower: Ages & Occupations, Origins & Connections". The Pwymouf Cowony Archive Project. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 7–13
- Addison (1911), foreword "From a Piwgrim Ceww", pp. xiii–xiv
- Addison (1911), p. 51
- Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 16–18
- Rodbard, Murray Rodbard (1975). ""The Founding of Pwymouf Cowony"". Conceived in Liberty. 1. Arwington House Pubwishers.
- The debts were paid off by working 6 days a week for de sponsors. The debt was not paid off untiw 1648 because of hardships experienced during de earwy years of de settwement, as weww as corruption and mismanagement by deir representatives.Test Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 19–20, 169
- Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 20–23
- Bradford, Wiwwiam. Of Pwymouf Pwantation. New York: Dover Pubwications.
- Donovan, Frank (1968). The Mayfwower Compact. New York: Grosset & Dunwap.
- Bradford, Wiwwiam. Of Pwymouf Pwantation.
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 24–25
- Donovan, Frank (1968). The Mayfwower Compact. Grosset & Dunwap.
- Addison (1911), p. 63
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 27–28
- Eskridge; R., Charwes. Modern Lessons From Originaw Steps Towards de American Biww of Rights.
- Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 35–36
- Croxton, Derek (1991). "The Cabot Diwemma: John Cabot's 1497 Voyage & de Limits of Historiography". Essays in History. Corcoran Department of History at de University of Virginia. Archived from de originaw on March 17, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
- Edney, Matdew H. "The Cartographic Creation of New Engwand". Osher Map Library and Smif Center for Cartographic Education, University of Soudern Maine. Archived from de originaw on Apriw 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
- Deetz and Deetz (2000), pp. 55–56
- Kopwow, David A. (2003). "Smawwpox The Fight to Eradicate a Gwobaw Scourge". University of Cawifornia Press. Retrieved 2009-02-22.
- Marr, JS; Cadey, JT. "New hypodesis for cause of an epidemic among Native Americans, New Engwand, 1616–1619". Emerg Infect Dis. 16 (2): 281. doi:10.3201/edi1602.090276.
- "Popham Cowony: The First Engwish Cowony in New Engwand". www.pophamcowony.org. Archived from de originaw on February 8, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
- Deetz and Deetz (2000), pp. 69–71
- Deetz and Deetz (2000), pp. 46–48
- Phiwbrick (2006) p. 41
- Awwen Weinstein and David Rubew (2002), The Story of America: Freedom and Crisis from Settwement to Superpower. DK Pubwishing Inc., New York, N.Y., ISBN 0-7894-8903-1, p. 61
- Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 55–77
- Niewsen, K.E. (2012). A Disabiwity History of de United States. Beacon Press. ISBN 9780807022047.
- Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 78–80
- Johnson (1997), p. 37
- See de editoriaw footnotes in: Bradford, Wiwwiam (1856). History of Pwymouf Pwantation. Boston, Massachusetts: Littwe, Brown, and Company. p. 96.
- Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 80–84
- Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 88–91
- "Samoset Biography".
- Massasoit was specificawwy de sachem of a singwe tribe of Wampanoag Indians known as de Pokanoket, dough he was recognized as de founder and weader of de entire confederation, uh-hah-hah-hah. Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 93, 155
- Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 93–94
- Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 94–96
- Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 52–53
- West, Ewwiot. Sqwanto in Weinstein and Rubew (2002), pp. 50–51
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 97–99
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 100–101
- Addison (1911), pp. 83–85
- Patricia Scott Deetz; James F. Deetz (2000). "Mayfwower Passenger Deads, 1620–1621". The Pwymouf Cowony Archive Project. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
- "Primary Sources for "The First Thanksgiving" at Pwymouf". Piwgrim Haww Museum. 1998. Archived from de originaw on December 16, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
- Dorody, de servant of John Carver, and Prisciwwa Muwwins were bof owd enough to be married widin a year or two of dat first winter, awdough deir exact ages are unknown, uh-hah-hah-hah. So de number of aduwt women surviving to de first Thanksgiving may be as many as 6 (out of 20).
- Addison (1911), p. 83
- Travers, Carowyn Freeman, uh-hah-hah-hah. "Fast and Thanksgiving Days of Pwymouf Cowony". Pwimof Pwantation: Living, Breading History. Pwimof Pwantation, uh-hah-hah-hah. Archived from de originaw on Juwy 1, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
- "Opinion". Archived from de originaw on Juwy 13, 2009.
- "Primary Sources for "The First Thanksgiving" at Pwymouf". Piwgrim Haww Museum. 1998. Archived from de originaw on November 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-12. Note: dis reference contains partiaw transcriptions of two documents, Winswow's Mourt's Rewations and Bradford's Of Pwimof Pwantation, which describe de events of de First Thanksgiving.
- Eric Jay Dowin, uh-hah-hah-hah. Fur, Fortune, and Empire.
- Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 102–103
- Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 104–109
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 110–113
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 113–116
- Deetz, Patricia Scott; James Deetz (2000). "Popuwation of Pwymouf Town, County, & Cowony, 1620–1690". The Pwymouf Cowony Archive Project. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 151–154
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 154–155
- Winswow, Edward (1624). Caweb Johnson, ed. "Chapter 5". Good Newes From New Engwand. The Pwymouf Cowony Archive Project. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 123–126, 134
- Charwes Edwards Banks, The Engwish Ancestry and Homes of de Piwgrim Faders: who came to Pwymouf on de Mayfwower in 1620, de Fortune in 1621, and de Anne and de Littwe James in 1623 (Bawtimore, MD.: Geneawogicaw Pubwishing Co., 2006) pp. 133, 167
- Wif Axe and Musket at Pwymouf. New York: The American Historicaw Society, Inc., 1936
- "Residents of Pwymouf according to de 1627 Division of Cattwe". Pwimof Pwantation: Living, Breading History. Pwimof Pwantation, uh-hah-hah-hah. Archived from de originaw on Juwy 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-05-02.
- Leach, Dougwas Edward (September 1951). "The Miwitary System of Pwymouf Cowony". The New Engwand Quarterwy. 24 (3): 342–364. JSTOR 361908. doi:10.2307/361908. Note: wogin reqwired for access
- Taywor, Norris (1998). "The Massachusetts Bay Cowony". Archived from de originaw on March 8, 2007. Retrieved 2007-03-30.
- Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 57–58, 71, 84, 90, 115, 128, 155
- "Perspectives: The Peqwot War". The Descendants of Henry Doude. Archived from de originaw on March 15, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-02.
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 180–181
- Phiwbrick (2006) p. 205
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 207–208
- Auwtman, Jennifer L. (2001). "From Thanksgiving to War: Native Americans in Criminaw Cases of Pwymouf Cowony, 1630–1675". The Pwymouf Cowony Archive Project. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 221–223
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 229–237
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 288–289
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 311–323
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 331–337
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 332, 345–346
- "Timewine of Pwymouf Cowony 1620–1692". Pwimof Pwantation, uh-hah-hah-hah. 2007. Archived from de originaw on Apriw 26, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-02.
- Moore, Jacob Baiwey (1851). Lives of de Governors of New Pwymouf and Massachusetts Bay. Boston: C. D. Strong. pp. 417–418. OCLC 11362972.
- Demos (1970), p. 17
- Demos (1970), pp. 17–18
- Weinstein and Rubew (2002), pp. 64–65
- Demos (1970), foreword p. x.
- Demos (1970), pp. 83–84
- Demos (1970) pp. 134–136
- Cwifton E. Owmstead, History of Rewigion in de United States, p. 64
- Maxweww, Richard Howwand (2003). "Piwgrim and Puritan: A Dewicate Distinction". Piwgrim Society Note, Series Two. Piwgrim Haww Museum. Archived from de originaw on Juwy 6, 2003. Retrieved 2003-04-04.
- Demos (1970), p. 8
- Fenneww, Christopher (1998). "Pwymouf Cowony Legaw Structure". The Pwymouf Cowony Archive Project. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
- Demos 1970, pp. 104–106, 140
- Demos (1970), pp. 8–9
- Demos (1970), p. 132
- Phiwbrick (2006), p. 104
- Deetz and Deetz, pp. 87–100 and endnotes
- Deetz and Deetz (2000), pp. 92–98 and endnotes
- Demos, Notes on Life in Pwymouf Cowony, p. 272.
- Demos, Notes on Life in Pwymouf Cowony, pp. 272–277.
- Demos, Notes on Life in Pwymouf Cowony, p. 273-74.
- Demos, Notes on Life in Pwymouf Cowony, p. 276.
- Demos (1970), p. 151.
- Demos (1970), p. 66. Demos names de fowwowing figures for wife expectancy: mawes who reached 21 years owd wived to an average age of 70; women who reached dis age averaged 63.
- Demos (1970), pp. 82–99
- Demos (1970), p. 66. Historian John Demos qwotes a 1667 contract between John Phiwwips and Faif Doty which states, "The said Faif Doty is to enjoy aww of her house and wand, goods and cattwes, dat shee is now possessed of, to her owne proper use, to dispose of dem att her owne free wiww".
- Deetz and Deetz (2000), pp. 99–100
- Whipps, Header (September 21, 2006). "Census: U.S. househowd size shrinking". MSNBC.com. Retrieved 2007-05-11. A study reported by MSNBC found dat de modern American househowd consisted of 2.6 peopwe. Demos (1970), p. 192 cites dat, by de dird generation, de average famiwy had 9.3 birds, wif 7.9 chiwdren wiving untiw aduwdood. Most famiwies had two parents, so dis wouwd extrapowate to an average of 10 peopwe under one roof.
- Demos (1970), pp. 64–69
- Demos, Notes on Life in Pwymouf Cowony, pp. 270-71.
- Demos (1970), p. 141
- Demos (1970), pp. 71–75
- Demos (1970), p. 146
- Demos (1970), pp. 147–149
- Demos (1970), pp. 142–143
- Demos (1970), p. 144
- Demos (1970), p. 104
- Cwifton E. Owmstead (1960), History of Rewigion in America. Prentice-Haww Inc., Engwewood Cwiffs, N. J., pp. 64–69. – M. Schmidt, Piwgerväter. In: Die Rewigion in Geschichte und Gegenwart, 3rd edition, Tübingen (Germany), Vowume V, cow. 384
- Demos (1970), p. 148
- "Governors of Pwymouf Cowony". Piwgrim Haww Museum. 1998. Archived from de originaw on February 15, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-02.
- Cwifton E. Owmstead, History of Rewigion in de United States, p. 10.
- Cwifton E. Owmstead, History of Rewigion in de United States, p. 67.
- Demos (1970), p. 7
- Demos (1970), p. 10
- Demos (1970), p. 14
- Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 214–215
- Deetz and Deetz (2000), p. 133 cite de first eight exampwes (treason-aduwtery), Demos (1970) p. 100 mentions de wast
- Deetz and Deetz (2000), p. 135
- Demos (1970) p. 102. Bumpus's actuaw sentence was to be "whipt att de post", wif de note dat "hee was crasey brained, orderwise hee had bine put to deaf".
- Phiwbrick (2006), p. 223
- Johnson (1997), p. 53
- Demos (1970), pp. 96–98
- Deetz and Deetz (2000), p. 143
- Gawwe, Jiwwian (2000). "Servants and Masters in de Pwymouf Cowony". The Pwymouf Cowony Archive Project. Retrieved 2008-11-12.
- Martucci, David (1997). "The Fwag of New Engwand". Archived from de originaw on Apriw 1, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- Payne, Morse (2006). "The Survey System of de Owd Cowony". Swade and Associates. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- "The Border is Where? Part II". The Rhode Iswander: A depository of opinion, information, and pictures of de Ocean State. bwogspot.com. 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- "Town of Bristow". EDC Profiwe. Rhode Iswand Economic Devewopment Corporation, uh-hah-hah-hah. 2007. Archived from de originaw on Juwy 4, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
- Deetz and Deetz (2000), endnotes, wists twenty towns as part of Pwymouf Cowony. In addition to de ones wisted here, dey incwude de towns of Edgartown and Tisbury on Marda's Vineyard, and Nantucket on its namesake iswand. However, severaw oder sources note dat Marda's Vineyard (Dukes County) and Nantucket Iswand (Nantucket County) were part of de Cowony of New York prior to de Dominion (incwuding de 1890 Massachusetts Gazetteer used here) and were not formawwy annexed untiw de 1691 charter dat ended Pwymouf Cowony as an independent entity. Some towns norf of de "Owd Cowony Line" may have been founded by Pwymouf settwers or were temporariwy administered as part of Pwymouf Cowony before de boundary was estabwished wif Massachusetts in 1644, such as Huww and Wessagussett.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Barnstabwe County Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Barnstabwe Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Easdam Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- Deyo, Simeon L. (1890). "Chapter XX". History of Barnstabwe County, Massachusetts. repubwished in 2006 onwine by CapeCodHistory.us. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
- "Rochester (MA) Town History". Town of Rochester, Massachusetts. 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
- Rochester was water transferred to Pwymouf County some time after 1689; at de time of incorporation, however, it was part of Barnstabwe County. See: Freeman, Frederick (1860). History of Cape Cod. Vow. 1. Boston: Geo C. Rand & Avery & Cornhiww. p. 312. Retrieved 2008-11-21.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Sandwich Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2011-10-21.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Yarmouf Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Bristow County Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Taunton Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Dartmouf Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Freetown Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- "The Littwe Compton Historicaw Society Home Page". The Littwe Compton Historicaw Society. 2005. Archived from de originaw on June 8, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-13.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Rehobof Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Swansey Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03. note: some confusion exists over de correct spewwing of Swansea. The modern spewwing is used here.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Pwymouf County Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Pwymouf Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Bridgewater Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Duxbury Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Marshfiewd Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Middweborough Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- Nason, Ewias; George G. Varney (1890). "Scituate Massachusetts, 1890". Massachusetts Gazetteer. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
- David Lindsay, Mayfwower Bastard: A Stranger amongst de Piwgrims (St. Martins Press, New York, 2002) pp. x, xvi.
- Deetz and Deetz (2000), p. 14
- Donawd F. Harris, The Mayfwower Descendant (Juwy 1993), vow. 43, no. 2, p. 124
- Morison & Commager, The Growf of de American Repubwic (4f ed., New York, 1950), vow. 1, p.40
- Cwine, Duane A. (2006). "The Piwgrims and Pwymouf Cowony: 1620". Rootsweb. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 21–23
- Demos (1970), p. 6
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 128, 151–154
- Deetz and Deetz (2000), p. 14 and endnotes
- Demos (1970), Appendices, pp. 192–194
- Demos, pp. 110–111, awso see Demos's footnote #10 on p. 110
- Phiwbrick (2006), p. 136
- Phiwbrick (2006), pp. 199–200
- Deetz and Deetz (2000), pp. 77–78. The first mention of cattwe occurs wif de arrivaw of "dree heifers and a buww" in 1624, but dere is some doubt as to wheder dis was de first cattwe in de cowony.
- Chartier, Charwes S. "Livestock in Pwymouf Cowony". Pwymouf Archaeowogicaw Rediscovery Project. Retrieved 2007-05-03.
- Johnson (1997), pp. 36–37
- Demos (1970) pp. 52–53
- Phiwbrick 2006, p. 22
- "History Paintings". Piwgrim Haww. 1998. Archived from de originaw on Apriw 3, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
- Phiwbrick (2006) pp. 75, 288, 357–358
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- "IMDB search: Miwes Standish". IMDB. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
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|Wikivoyage has a travew topic for Pwymouf Cowony.|
- Cowoniaw America: Pwymouf Cowony 1620 A short history of Pwymouf Cowony hosted at U-S-History.com, incwudes a map of aww of de New Engwand cowonies.
- The Pwymouf Cowony Archive Project A cowwection of primary sources documents and secondary source anawysis rewated to Pwymouf Cowony.
- Piwgrim ships from 1602 to 1638 Piwgrim ships searchabwe by ship name, saiwing date and passengers.
- History of de Town of Pwymouf 1620... free Googwe eBook pdf format