Pilgrim Fathers
Mayflower's devout passengers
The Pilgrim Fathers were English Puritans who sailed to North America on the Mayflower in 1620 and established Plymouth Colony in what is now Massachusetts.
They left England seeking religious freedom and are celebrated in American tradition as founders of the nation, particularly through the Thanksgiving holiday commemorating their first harvest.
The term appears mainly in historical and ceremonial contexts: The Pilgrim Fathers landed at Plymouth Rock.
Algonquian-speaking northeastern tribe
- SquantoPatuxet who helped Pilgrims
- MassasoitWampanoag sachem, 1620s
- allianceFormal union of parties
- treatyBinding pact between nations
interpreter · fishing techniques · trade · cooperation · native · encounter · first contact
Resolved dispute or colony
- colonistsSettlers in new territory
- Plymouth ColonyEarly Massachusetts Pilgrim settlement
- charterFounding organizational document
- territoryLand under jurisdiction
plantation · frontier · New World · land grant · governor · self-governance · William Bradford · compact
1620 colonial transport vessel
- PlymouthEnglish port city
- Atlantic crossingSea voyage between continents
- Cape CodMassachusetts coastal peninsula
- LeidenHistoric Dutch academic city
ship · seafaring · passage · sailing · crew · navigation · scurvy · mariners
Predestinarian Protestant theology
- predestinationDivinely predetermined fate
- SabbathWeekly religious rest day
- sermonClergy's worship address
- theocracyRule by religious authority
covenant · Providence · reformation · piety · nonconformist · dissenters · religious freedom · persecution
Wampanoag
Algonquian-speaking northeastern tribe
treaty · interpreter · fishing techniques · trade · cooperation · native · encounter · first contact
settlement
Resolved dispute or colony
- colonistsSettlers in new territory
- Plymouth ColonyEarly Massachusetts Pilgrim settlement
- charterFounding organizational document
territory · plantation · frontier · New World · land grant · governor · self-governance · William Bradford · compact · laws
Mayflower
1620 colonial transport vessel
- PlymouthEnglish port city
- Atlantic crossingSea voyage between continents
- Cape CodMassachusetts coastal peninsula
Leiden · ship · seafaring · passage · sailing · crew · navigation · scurvy · mariners · ocean
Calvinism
Predestinarian Protestant theology
- predestinationDivinely predetermined fate
- SabbathWeekly religious rest day
- sermonClergy's worship address
theocracy · covenant · Providence · reformation · piety · nonconformist · dissenters · religious freedom · persecution · congregation
harvest
Gathering mature crops
- feastElaborate ceremonial meal
- gratitudeThankfulness for kindness received
- autumnPost-summer cooling period
celebration · tradition · turkey · venison · corn · bounty · gathering · commemoration · survival · plenty
Pilgrim Fathersconquistadors
Spanish colonial soldiers
Hernán Cortés · gold seekers · treasure hunters · fortune hunters · plunderers
pilgrim, pilgrims, pilgrimage, pilgrimages, father, fathers, fathered, fathering, fatherhood