Pilgrims

Mayflower 400 UK (Y,M,O,T)
Mayflower 400 UK was a commemorative program dedicated to the Mayflower voyage’s 400th anniversary. Its website is an excellent resource for educational articles on the Mayflower, its voyage, Pilgrims, the Wampanoag People, and tons more. The site also hosts a number of educator resources, including a teacher’s toolkit, reading lists, worksheets, links to additional resources, and more.

Pilgrim Hall Museum (Y,M,O,T)
If you can’t visit in person, the Pilgrim Hall Museum has a large online collection of artifacts, online exhibits, articles, Pilgrim biographies, and Pre-K through 12 activities.

Plimoth Patuxet Museums  (Y,M)
Plimoth Plantation offers primary living history exhibits, the 1627 Pilgrim Village, Wampanoag home site and Mayflower II Exhibits. Visitors can experience what it was like that first Thanksgiving. Website offers a virtual tour.

General Society of Mayflower Descendants (Y,M,O,T)
Learn about the Mayflower passengers, its voyage, the Mayflower Compact, and more on the Mayflower Society website.

Books, Writings, and Records from Mayflower Passengers  (O)
Get an first-hand look at life on the Mayflower and at Plymouth by reading the writings and records from those who lived there. A collection of primary sources that includes books, letters, records, and documents from MayflowerHistory.com.

Plimoth Patuxet Museums Online Learning  (Y,M,O,T)
The Plimoth Plantation offers a multitude of online learning opportunities, including historical and topical information, historical recipes and games, virtual programs and workshops, and a podcast. Visit their events calendar for live programs.

The Truth about The First Thanksgiving by James W. Loewen  (O,T)
Reproduced from Loewen's book "Lies My Teacher Told Me," this excerpt describes the original non-native settlers of what is now the United States and the impact they had on the natives.

Mayflower Steps  (Y,M,O,T)
Contains a detailed account of the Mayflower ship, its ties to Plymouth Barbican, the journey, its passengers, and much more.

Pilgrim Memorial State Park  (Y,M,O,T)
Features: Historic Site, Interpretive Programs, restrooms, and Scenic Viewing Area. In Plymouth, MA.

Why the Wampanoag Signed a Peace Treaty with the Mayflower Pilgrims (Y,M,O,T)
A brief overview of the history of the Wampanoag Peoples and the events leading up to their signing of a peace treaty with the Mayflower Pilgrims. From History.

History of the Mayflower Compact (M,O)
“Signed on November 21, 1620 (November 11, Old Style), the Mayflower Compact was an agreement that joined the people onboard the Mayflower – the ship that carried the colonists who first settled Plymouth, Massachusetts.” Learn more about the history of first governing document of Plymouth Colony on the Library of Congress.

The Mayflower Compact Full-Text (M,O,T)
You can find the full-text and names of the original signers of the Mayflower Compact on the Pilgrim Hall Museum website.

Pilgrim Code of Law  (M,O,T)
The Pilgrim Code of Law of 1636 is one of the early governing documents of Plymouth Colony. The full-text is available on Teaching American History.

Differing Views of Pilgrims and Native Americans in Seventeenth-Century New England  (Y,M,T)
In this lesson plan from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History students will analyze primary sources to interpret how colonists and Wampanoags view land, nature, and life differently. For grades 1-5.

Unit: Pilgrims, the Mayflower Compact, and Thanksgiving  (M,T)
“Over the course of three lessons the students will analyze sources about the voyage of the Pilgrims to America aboard the Mayflower, the writing of the Mayflower Compact, and the origin of Thanksgiving. These documents include a secondary source about the journey of the Mayflower as well as two primary sources: The Mayflower Compact (1620) and the letter by Edward Winslow (1621).” From the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History for grades 4-6.

Lesson Plan: The Thanksgiving Story  (O,T)
These lesson plans from C-Span are based on a video talk with historian David J. Silverman about the “history of Thanksgiving in the United States and the relationship between the Wampanoag Native People and Plymouth Colony settlers. Silverman provides background on the story of the first Thanksgiving from different perspectives. He talks about the Wampanoag people and their community prior to the arrival of the English settlers, their interactions, the events leading into King Phlip's War as well as the aftermath.” Designed for high school students.

Lesson Plan: The Pilgrim Story  (M,T)
These lesson plans from C-Span are based on a video interview with Plimoth Patuxet Deputy Executive Director Richard Pickering, in which he discusses Pilgrim life, their voyage, and early settlement. Designed for middle school students.