Remembering John Carver, First Governor of Plymouth Colony

Early New England

Most Americans who know much of anything about the Mayflower and Plymouth Colony remember at least two key events: the signing of the Mayflower Compact when the Pilgrims first arrived in Plymouth in...

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Remembering Roger Conant, Founder of Salem Massachusetts, 1626

Early New England

Most everyone in America today associates the city of Salem, Massachusetts with the infamous Salem Witch Trials, which took place in the year 1692. But I invite you to travel back even further in...

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Remembering William Brewster, The Soul of Plymouth Colony

Early New England

One of the most important passengers on the Mayflower in the year 1620 was William Brewster, who died this day on April 10, 1644. He was one of the original “Separatists” from Northern England...

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Remembering Francis Cooke

Early New England

Among the most stalwart of the Separatists who lived through the entire saga of the Mayflower voyage to North America was Francis Cooke, who died this day on April 7, 1663 at the advanced age of...

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Remembering King James I

Early New England, Early Virginia

One of the most important supporters of early American colonization was King James I of England, who died this day on March 27, 1625. We honor him today for all that he did to promote the earliest...

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Remembering John Howland

Early New England

The history of Plymouth Colony begins with the landing of the Mayflower in 1620, and ends with the Colony’s absorption into the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691. In between these two events,...

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February 10, 1763: The Treaty of Paris Ends the French & Indian War—And Kicks Off the American Revolution

Early New England, Revolutionary War Era

The Treaty of Paris and The American Revolution This year we commemorate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It was signed in the midst of the American...

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Remembering Mary Rowlandson

Early New England

For many Americans, the history of 17th Century New England conjures up images of hardy immigrants making their way across the ocean, taming nature, and bringing European cultural, social and...

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Remembering Squanto

Early New England

When the Pilgrims arrived at Cape Cod in the Fall of 1620, they were immediately faced with the task of starting a new colony in North America with only the barest of essentials to sustain them as...

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November 11, 1620: The “Mayflower Compact” Is Signed at Cape Cod, and a New Form of Government Is Established in North America

Early New England

During this Thanksgiving season, we commemorate the coming together of English settlers and Native-Americans at Plymouth Colony, for what historians have dubbed “The First Thanksgiving.” This...

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