Ancestry
The Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony: 1620
Study guide with loads of information about the pilgrims. Details everything from the religious beliefs of the pilgrims to what the Mayflower looked like, to the dogs on the ship, furniture, clothing, descriptions of medical practices on...
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: Settlement of the Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay Colonies
In this lesson, 5th graders learn about the people who founded the New England colonies and the role that religion played in shaping them. Includes background information for the teacher. Students explore primary resource readings on the...
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.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Pilgrim Elder William Brewster
A brief biography of William Brewster, one of the original Pilgrims to come over on the Mayflower.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The New England Colonies
New England colonies and society were very different from the Jamestown and subsequent Southern colonies. Find out the reasons the colonists had for founding the New England colonies.
University of Illinois
University of Illinois: The Plymouth Colony Archive Project
This resource presents a collection of searchable texts, including court records, Colony laws, seminar analysis of various topics, and biographical profiles of selected colonists. It also includes a search engine and images.
Bill Carson
The Pilgrims and the Puritans
Exactly what is the difference between Pilgrims and Puritans? Find out here in this short article.
New York Times
New York Times: Crossword Puzzle: The Pilgrims
The New York Times Learning Network presents a variety of interactive and printable crossword puzzles. This one is about The Pilgrims.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: New England Colonies: The Mayflower and Plymouth Colony
Read a brief description of the Pilgrims' journey to North America. Find out how many travelers on the Mayflower were actually Pilgrims, and find out why a mistake in navigation led to the first written constitution in the New World.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: New England Colonies: William Bradford; The First Thanksgiving
Plymouth Colony did not suffer the same problems as the English colony farther south, Jamestown. Read about the leadership of William Bradford, and the relationship between the settlers and the Native Americans who helped those who lived...
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: American Indians and English Settlers in Colonial America
In this lesson, 5th graders examine the relations between Indians and the settlers in the 1600s and 1700s. Background information for teachers is included. Students will work in groups to look at three different colonies and read primary...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Puritan New England: Plymouth
An overview of the Puritans who facing religious persecution in England set sail for the New World establishing the colony at Plymouth.
Other
Plimouth Plantation
Plimoth Plantation brings us "Living, breathing history," and lots of fun delving into various aspects like the Wampanoag, the English Colonists, the colony itself, and, of course, Thanksgiving - myth and reality. This is a site with...
Ducksters
Ducksters: Colonial America the Pilgrims and Plymouth Colony
Learn about the Eurpoean colonization of America.
Scholastic
Scholastic: The First Thanksgiving
This is a site covering every aspect of the first Thanksgiving ever celebrated. There is a picture timeline, an interactive trip on the Mayflower, and wonderful descriptions of what the lives of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag Indians...
A&E Television
History.com: Thanksgiving
A detailed overview of the first Thanksgiving and the menu that the Pilgrims served which was quite different than the modern Thanksgiving meal. Features videos, a photo gallery, and links to many related articles and topics.
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),...
Other
Plimoth Plantation: You Are the Historian
What really happened at the first Thanksgiving? Students will explore different aspects of the harvest celebration in 1621 through an interactive program provided by an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institute.
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.
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...
Syracuse University
Syracuse University: Map of New England, 17th Century
A map that shows the seventeenth-century migration routes of the Puritans from England to New England. Early population centers are designated as well as some interregional migrations.
Yale University
Avalon Project: Mayflower Compact 1620
Read the actual words of these earliest Americans and their attempt at self-government with the writing of the Mayflower Compact. Link directly to other colonial charter pages.
University of Oklahoma
University of Oklahoma Law Center: Mayflower Compact
Provides the full text of the Mayflower Compact, the first written framework of government in what is now the United States.