Chapter One

One cold day late in November 1620, a British ship named the Mayflower laid anchor off the tip of Cape Cod in present-day Massachusetts. The Mayflower was supposed to land in what was called "Northern Virginia," but the ship landed farther north instead. The passengers on the Mayflower were mainly Pilgrims from England who wanted to separate from the Church of England. They had spent a hard two months at sea to get to the New World because they felt it was the one place where they could practice their religion as they wished.

In a short time, the Pilgrims established their settlement on the shores of nearby Plymouth Bay. The area around Plymouth Bay was once inhabited by the Patuxet tribe. However, the Native American tribe had all been wiped out by 1618 by disease (probably smallpox) carried by earlier European explorers.

The first winter was very tough for the Pilgrims. They had only limited housing and food, and many died of malnutrition, exposure, and illness. Only half the original 102 settlers lived through to spring. In the spring, however, the Pilgrims' fortunes changed when they met Squanto, a member of the Patuxet who had grown up around Plymouth, but was kidnapped by an English captain and sold into slavery in Spain. Upon escaping from Spain, Squanto went to England where he was able to get on a ship sailing to the New World. Unfortunately, when he returned to his old village, he discovered that his people had all died. Using the English he had learned from his captors, Squanto was able to show the Pilgrims how to plant corn, catch cod and herring, tap maple trees