The Pilgrims: Founders of the Plymouth Colony

Who were the people who settled the Plymouth colony and celebrated the first Thanksgiving with Native Americans?

a) Puritans.

b) Quakers.

c) Pilgrims.

d) Loyalists.

Answer:

The people who established the Plymouth colony and celebrated the first Thanksgiving with Native Americans were known as the Pilgrims.

The Pilgrims were a group of English Puritans who insisted on a complete separation from the Church of England. Led by William Bradford, they originally left England for the Netherlands before sailing to North America in 1620 to establish the Plymouth Colony in what is now Massachusetts.

Upon arriving in Plymouth, the Pilgrims faced many challenges as they adapted to their new environment. They were aided by Squanto, a member of the Patuxet tribe, who taught them essential skills such as farming and fishing.

In their second year in Plymouth, the Pilgrims held a feast of thanksgiving to celebrate their successful harvest and to give thanks. This event is now commemorated annually as Thanksgiving in the United States.

Although the Puritans also arrived in the 1620s and 1630s and played a role in colonizing New England, it was the Pilgrims and their Thanksgiving celebration that are specifically associated with the Plymouth colony.