Plymouth Colony

Plymouth Colony
1620–1686 1689–1691
Seal
Plymouth Colony town locations[image reference needed]
Status	Colony of England
Capital	Plymouth 41°50′42″N 70°44′19″W / 41.8450°N 70.7387°W / 41.8450; -70.7387
Common languages	English
Religion	Puritanism
Government	Self-governing colony
Governor
• 1620–1621	John Carver (first)
• 1689–1692	Thomas Hinckley (last)
Legislature	General Court
Historical era	British colonization of the Americas Puritan migration to New England (1620–1640)
• Charter given	1620
• First Thanksgiving	1621
• Pequot War	1636–1638
• New England Confederation formed	1643
• King Philip's War	1675–1676
• Disestablished, reorganized as the Province of Massachusetts Bay	1686 1689–1691
Preceded by Succeeded by Wampanoag Dominion of New England Province of Massachusetts Bay

Plymouth Colony (sometimes Plimouth) was the first permanent English colony in New England from 1620 and the third permanent English colony in America, after Newfoundland and the Jamestown Colony. It was settled by the passengers on the Mayflower at a location that had previously been surveyed and named by Captain John Smith. The settlement served as the capital of the colony and developed as the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts. At its height, Plymouth Colony occupied most of the southeastern portion of Massachusetts. Many of the people and events surrounding Plymouth Colony have become part of American folklore, including the American tradition of Thanksgiving and the monument of Plymouth Rock.^[1]: 2

Plymouth Colony was founded by a group of Protestant Separatists initially known as the Brownist Emigration, who came to be known as the Pilgrims. The colony established a treaty with Wampanoag Chief Massasoit which helped to ensure its success; in this, they were aided by Squanto, a member of the Patuxet tribe. Plymouth played a central role in King Philip's War (1675–1678), one of several Indian Wars, but the colony was ultimately merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony and other territories in 1691 to form the Province of Massachusetts Bay.

Despite the colony's relatively short existence, Plymouth holds a special role in American history. Most of the citizens of Plymouth were fleeing religious persecution and searching for a place to worship as they saw fit, rather than being entrepreneurs like many of the settlers of Jamestown, Virginia. The social and legal systems of the colony became closely tied to their religious beliefs, as well as to English custom.^[1]: 2