PLIMOTH PLANTATION

Plimoth Plantation is a museum complex that tells the story of Plymouth's first settlement. The site is considered to be the birthplace of the United States because, after the Jamestown colony in Virginia, it was here that the PilgrimFathers from England first settled permanently. Unlike the Jamestown colony, which was primarily a mercantile venture, the Plymouth colony was established by individuals seeking a place to live in peace and freely practice their religion. Numerous seminal events in the country's history took place here. The Mayflower Compact, drawn up by the Pilgrim Fathers aboard the Mayflower, marked the beginnings of American democracy. The 102 Pilgrims who disembarked from the Mayflower established the colony of Plymouth in December 1620. Half the settlers lost their lives in the three months that followed, facing a particularly hostile environment, scurvy and a harsh New England winter. The site where the new arrivals chose to settle was already inhabited by the native Wampanoag tribe. For over a hundred years, the Wampanoags had been accustomed to Europeans landing on their land, but never, until then, with the intention of settling there permanently.

John Carver, one of the Pilgrim Fathers and the first signatory of the Mayflower Compact, became the first governor of the Plymouth colony. In March 1621, he signed a treaty of peace and mutual protection with the chief of the Wampanoags, Massasoit. The Amerindians provided vital assistance to the colonists, offering them food and teaching them how to grow corn, fish and take advantage of the unfamiliar environment. To thank them for their help, which resulted in a good autumn harvest in 1621, the settlers organized a great feast to which 91 members of the Wampanoags tribe, including Massasoit, were invited. Turkeys, corn and game were shared. Three days of thanksgiving were declared by William Bradford, who became governor after Carver's death. Thus was born the tradition of Thanksgiving, one of the most important in the United States, celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November.

In subsequent years, the Plymouth colony grew with the arrival of new ships from England. By the 1640s, it had a population of around 2,000. By the late 1680s, New England's population was estimated at 60,000.