Have students keep track of a timeline of up to ten events from Of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford. Using the narrative, along with their history textbooks or online resources, have them plug in the dates of the major events, including the history of the Puritans before their voyage, the voyage, their first winter, their interactions with the Native Americans, etc. See the following timeline example below:
July 1608The Separatist movement decides to move to Leiden (near Amsterdam) in Holland. |
September 1620After departing from Holland in July for Southampton, England, the group boards the Mayflower, and sails for the New World. |
November 1620The Pilgrims spot land, drop anchor, and sign the Mayflower Compact. |
December 1620The Pilgrims set foot in Plymouth, Massachusetts. An illness hits the Pilgrim group, and by March, over half of the group had died from the illness, starvation, and the elements. Bradford’s wife Dorothy May dies aboard the Mayflower. |
March 1621The Pilgrims negotiate with the Nauset tribe, establishing a peace treaty and later setting up trade relations. |
October 1621The Pilgrims have the first “Thanksgiving” with Massasoit and his men. |
August 1623William Bradford marries his second wife, Alice Southworth, a widow. |
November 1623The first official Thanksgiving is declared by Governor William Bradford, as the Pilgrims celebrated the arrival of more people and supplies that began to arrive in July. |
March 1629A royal charter for Massachusetts Bay Colony is issued. Plimoth Plantation and the Pilgrim settlement is later absorbed into the Massachusetts Bay Colony. |
September 1638The Pequot War with the colonists ends in a treaty. |
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Student Instructions
Create a timeline that illustrates ten major events in Of Plymouth Plantation.