The Pilgrims were a group of English Protestants, many of them religious Separatists, who sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 and founded Plymouth Colony in what is now Massachusetts.
Religious background
Many of the Pilgrims belonged to a Separatist congregation that rejected the Church of England and wanted to form independent churches, which led to persecution under English law. To gain greater freedom of worship, some first moved from England to Leiden in the Netherlands before deciding to create a new community in North America.
The Mayflower voyage
In 1620, about 100–102 passengers left from Plymouth, England, aboard the Mayflower, aiming for the Virginia area but arriving instead at Cape Cod and then settling at Plymouth. The group included both Separatists and other English people seeking land or economic opportunity, often referred to at the time as “Saints” and “Strangers.”
Plymouth Colony and legacy
The Pilgrims established Plymouth Colony, the first permanent English settlement in New England, and created a self-governing agreement known as the Mayflower Compact. Later generations associated them with the “First Thanksgiving” of 1621 and began calling them “Pilgrims” or “Pilgrim Fathers” long after their lifetimes.
Key points at a glance
- English Separatists (and some non-Separatists) seeking religious freedom and better lives.
- Sailed on the Mayflower in 1620 from Plymouth, England, and founded Plymouth Colony in present-day Massachusetts.
- Their experience, including early cooperation with Indigenous peoples and the 1621 harvest celebration, became central to later Thanksgiving traditions and American origin stories.
