Pilgrims

Definition

The Pilgrims were a group of English Puritans who set sail for the New World in 1620. They sought religious freedom and established the Plymouth Colony in what is now Massachusetts.

Related terms

Puritans: A religious group that wanted to "purify" the Church of England from its Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England was not reformed enough.

Mayflower Compact: An agreement reached by the Pilgrims on the ship Mayflower in 1620, just before they landed at Plymouth Rock. It bound them into a civil body politic.

Plymouth Colony: The first permanent settlement in New England; established by English Puritan separatists, later known as the Pilgrims, in 1620.