Rachel Metter

11-8-15
Plymouth Colony (1620-1692)
I.

Relation to Project
A. Entire Project: Dinosaur Apocalypse
1. Small population must fend for themselves
2. Pilgrims had to learn new skills in order to survive
in the New World
B. My role: Farming
1. Food supplies ran out and needed source of food
2. Pilgrims used primitive tools to practice subsistence
farming
3. Received assistance from neighboring Native
American tribes

II.

The Mayflower
A. Departs from England (September 16, 1620)
B. Anchors at Cape Cod (November 21, 1620)
C. Mayflower Compact is signed (November 21, 1620)
1. Created laws for the common good of the settlers
D. Anchors at Plymouth (December 17, 1620) (Brent, 2014)

III.

The First Winter

A. First landing party arrives at Plymouth (December 21, 1620)
B. Living and working buildings were constructed (Brent, 2014)
1. Only 7 of the planned 19 residencies were built due
to illnesses
C. 45 of the 102 emigrants died due poor nutrition and housing
(Zeichner, 2015)

IV.

Contact with Native Americans

A. First encounter with Native Americans (December 6, 1620)
1. Stole maize from Nauset tribe in Cape Cod
B. Samoset greets colonists in English
C. Samoset visits again two days later with Squanto
D. Chief Massasoit forms peace treaty with Plymouth colonists
(Brent, 2014)

V.

Types of Food
A. Grown in fields
1. corn, beans, pumpkins, wheat, barley, oats, and
peas
B. Grown in gardens
1. herbs and vegetables (parsley, spinach, carrots)
C. Imported from England
1. Salt, sugar, vinegar, oil (Plymouth Plantation, 2015)

VI.

Livestock
A.
B.
C.
D.

Chickens and pigs brought over on the Mayflower

Pigs and cattle arrive (1623)
Sheep (sometime before 1628)
Horses and oxen (1630s) (Livestock, 2005)

VII.

Learning to Farm
A. Squanto teaches the pilgrims how to plant corn, fish, and trap
beavers
B. Plymouth didnt have good harbors or a vast amount of fertile land
C. Instead colonists relied on subsistence farming (Plymouth
Plantation, 2015)

VIII.

Growing Methods
A. Clear the land
B. Dig holes and place a few corn seeds in each
C. Spot fertilization
1. Place 2-3 herring in hole and cover with dirt
2. Only used in areas with poor soil
3. Cons: decaying fish attracted animals (Maddigan,
2014)

IX.

Food Preservation
A. Salting
1.
2.
3.
last for several years
B. Smoking
1.
2.
3.
C. Drying
1.
2.
D. Pickling
1.
2.

worked best for pork and fish

draws out moisture and kills bacteria
slows down decomposition- food could potentially

Meat cut into small strips

Dipped in salt solution
Hung above fire
typically in the summer sun
used on all types of food
Boil in water, salt, herbs, vinegar, and verjuice
Seal in airtight container (Snell, 2009)

X.

The First Thanksgiving (November 1621)

A. 53 colonists left alive attended along with 90 Native Americans
under Massasoit
B. Food included:
1. Waterfowl, turkeys, and fish from the colonists
2. Five deer from the Native Americans (Brent, 2014)

XI.

The Last of Plymouth Colony

A. Plymouth never had a formal charter

B. Charter was issued annexing Plymouth Colony to Massachusetts

Bay Colony
C. Proclamation ending existence of Plymouth (October 17, 1691)
(Brent, 2014)

Maddigan, M. (2014). Nemasket River Herring.

https://books.google.com/books?
id=gAIPBAAAQBAJ&pg=PT33&lpg=PT33&dq=why+did+they+put+herring+in+the+soil&source=
bl&ots=KZR5aSkpep&sig=6IaKFm_bkPfTRYenDsuHC9vYPs0&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CC8Q6AEw
BGoVChMIl9yXnfSFyQIVg00mCh0vUAa2#v=onepage&q=why%20did%20they%20put
%20herring%20in%20the%20soil&f=false
Brent, R. (2014). Plymouth Colony timeline. Retrieved November 10, 2015, from
https://worldhistoryproject.org/topics/plymouth-colony/page/1
Zeichner, O. (2015). About the Plymouth Colony | Scholastic.com. Retrieved November 10,
2015.
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/article/plymouth-colony
Plimoth Plantation. (2015). Retrieved November 10, 2015.
https://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/growing-food
Livestock. (2005). Retrieved November 10, 2015.
http://mayflowerhistory.com/livestock
Snell, M. (2009). Medieval Food Preservation. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
http://historymedren.about.com/od/foodandfamine/a/food_preservation.htm