The journey to Patuxet
In 1620, the Mayflower crossed the Atlantic. Some passengers were Separatists seeking to practice their religion apart from the Church of England. Others traveled for different reasons. They reached Cape Cod and later established Plymouth at Patuxet, a Wampanoag place where an epidemic had killed many residents. Cold, sickness, and the work of building homes made the first winter difficult.
An agreement to govern
Adult male passengers signed the Mayflower Compact. They agreed to create and follow laws for their community. The agreement is one example of English colonial self-government. It did not give everyone a voice: women did not sign it, and it did not represent the Native peoples whose homeland the colonists entered. Native nations already had their own governments.
Relationships change over time
Samoset, an Abenaki man, helped begin communication. Ousamequin, the Wampanoag leader also called Massasoit, made an agreement with the English in 1621. Tisquantum, also called Squanto, helped with communication and planting. A harvest gathering that year included English and Wampanoag people. That event does not tell the whole history of their relationship. Later colonial expansion brought land loss and conflict.
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Plimoth Patuxet Museums
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