Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Utopian Promise: William Bradford
Seventeenth century author, William Bradford, set sail on the Mayflower and embarked on a journey to the New World using his experiences for his writings. Click on "William Bradford Activities" for related artifacts and activities.
Open Library of the Internet Archive
Open Library: Mary of Plymouth
This ebook version of James Otis's Mary Of Plymouth has been made available in multiple formats by the Open Library. Editions of the full novel, organized by year of publication, may be accessed here.
Curated OER
Etc: Reorganization of the Plymouth Company, 1606 1620
A map of eastern North America in 1620 showing the King James Patent of the Plymouth Company to the north and London Company to the south. In 1620, the Plymouth Company was reorganized as the Plymouth Council for New England, or the...
This Nation
This nation.com: Mayflower Compact
This site provides the full text of the agreement between the settlers at New Plymouth, 1620.
Yale University
The Charter of New England:1620
Read the online historical text written in 1620 establishing religious freedom, means of governing, and rule by law in the Plymouth colony and New England.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Pilgrim John Howland
Fictional interview with John Howland, a farmer in Plimoth Village in 1621. He describes what pilgrim life might have been like from the viewpoint of a farmer and a man.
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Colonial House: Fearless and Faithful
A lesson plan based on the PBS program, Colonial House, which aired in 2004. The program is available on DVD and the link to the activity is still available. This lesson plan explores why ordinary people left their homes in Europe to...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Colonial Settlement: Interactive Timeline
In this interactive timeline see how other European nations, along with the British, colonized America and how events in Europe impacted colonization.
Other
Plimoth Plantation: Mayflower Ii
This resource gives a detailed history of both the first Mayflower and the current Mayflower II that sits in the harbor of Plimoth Plantation.
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Religious Dissent [Pdf]
This lesson supplements one on the "Settlement of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies of New England." It looks at religious dissent and intolerance among the Puritans in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Students look at Roger...
OpenStax
Open Stax: English Settlements in America
Read about the first English settlements in America, the differences between the Chesapeake Bay colonies and the New England colonies, the wars between native inhabitants and English colonists, and the role of Bacon's Rebellion in the...
University of Groningen
American History: Documents: New England Articles of Confederation 1643
View the complete text of the New England Articles of Confederation 1643, an alliance of the English colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth, Connecticut, and New Haven.
Kidport
Kidport Reference Library: The British Colonies
A very brief description of the earliest English settlements in the New World followed by a list of the thirteen English colonies.
Mayflower History
Mayflower history.com: Voyage of the Mayflower
Describes the difficulty the Mayflower had in setting off for America, due to the second ship that was to accompany it, Speedwell. This ship repeatedly sprang leaks so they decided to leave it in England. The Mayflower hit rough weather...
Curated OER
Etc: New England Colonies, 1620 1641
A map of the New England Colonies showing the westward expansion of the Pilgrims from Plymouth (1620) to Stamford, Connecticut (1641). The map shows settlements in the area with dates of establishment given, colony boundaries, New...
Curated OER
Etc: New England Colonies, 1620 1638
A map of the New England colonies showing the early permanent Pilgrim settlements and their dates of establishment, including Plymouth (1620), Little Harbor, New Hampshire (1623), Pemaquid, Maine (1625), Salem, Massachusetts (1628),...
Siteseen
Siteseen: Land of the Brave: William Bradford
Overview and biographical facts on the life of William Bradford, a leader of the Plymouth Settlement.
The History Cat
The History Cat: History of Colonial America
Information about the history of the colonization of America. Read about Jamestown, Plymouth, the Salem witch trials, colonial life, and the Thirteen Colonies.
Library of Congress
Loc: Learning Page: Primary Source Set: Thanksgiving
A set of primary documents that reflect the Mayflower, Plymouth, Puritans, the first Thanksgiving, and legislation for the holiday.
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: First Arrivals, American Beginnings: 1492 1690
Numerous visual images of artifacts from English settlements at Jamestown and at Plymouth, and from Spanish settlement in Hispaniola, and three original accounts of each of those early settlements that describe the possibilities and the...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Colonization
For a variety of reasons, those who came to settle the early colonies sought a new homeland. Puritans, for example, established several settlements in Massachusetts. These English colonists were a pious, self-disciplined people who...
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Massachusetts
The Library of Congress profiles Massachusetts in this fact-filled article about the "Old Colony State."
Scholastic
Scholastic: Lesson Plan: The First Thanksgiving
Teachers deepen students' understanding of the first Thanksgiving as they discuss the Mayflower voyage, life in the colonies, the Wampanoag traditions, and an extensive look into this time period.
Open Door Team
Open Door Web Site: The First Thanksgiving
This brief article tells of the help the Indians gave the Pilgrims in learning about the land, resulting in the first Thanksgiving.