Plymouth Colony

Plymouth Colony, in full The Colony of New Plymouth, colony founded in the New World by the Pilgrims. The foundation of this colony was one of the major events in the early history of the British colonies in North America. In the reign of Elizabeth I, queen of England, one of the sects of Puritans known as Brownists separated from the new Church of England and after much persecution took refuge in the Netherlands. They finally determined to emigrate to America. A group of London investors financed them in exchange for most of their produce from America during their first six years. Their ship, the Mayflower taking on many other passengers to fill the boat, sailed from Plymouth, England, for America on September 16, 1620. When they reached the American coast, strong winds drove the Mayflower into what is now Provincetown harbour, at the end of Cape Cod rather than their original destination in Virginia. They wrote and signed the Mayflower Compact, forming the first constitutional political democracy in the Americas. After some exploration they settled on the site of what is now Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Plymouth Colony later united with other New England colonies to form the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691.