Pilgrims

Pilgrims, English settlers who first landed in New England in 1620 in the location now known as Plymouth, Mass. Fearing religious persecution in England, these Pilgrims first fled to Holland but could not tolerate the cultural differences. With the support of English merchants, they set sail in the Mayflower on September 1620. Upon their arrival they established the Plymouth colony. The origin of the word “Pilgrim” to designate these settlers is not certain, but it is often attributed to William Bradford, a governor of Plymouth Colony, who referred to the settlers as “Pilgrims.”

See also: Brewster, William; Plymouth Colony; Colonial period, American; Massachusetts Bay Company.