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137-593: Frederick Mason Perkins was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts and grew up in China , where his parents, Americans of English origin, were missionaries. Although they were Protestant, Perkins was educated by Jesuits . When he was young, Perkins studied piano with Theodor Leschetizky in Vienna, then later at Leipzig University of Dresden University. In 1898 he met art historian Bernard Berenson and became his student. From

274-452: A theocratic government limited to church members, although ministers were barred from holding governmental positions. Winthrop, Dudley, the Rev. John Cotton, and other leaders sought to prevent dissenting religious views, and many were banished because of differing religious beliefs, including Roger Williams of Salem and Anne Hutchinson of Boston , and unrepentant Quakers and Anabaptists. By

411-426: A 145% increase in 20 years. Plymouth has surpassed several Massachusetts cities in population, but it is still officially regarded as a town and continues to be governed by a board of selectmen rather than a mayor. Plymouth spans several exits on the town's primary highway Massachusetts Route 3 . Additional access is possible via an extension to U.S. Route 44 . The latitude of Plymouth is 41.95833 and its longitude

548-565: A Plantation in Massachusetts Bay". The company elected Matthew Cradock as its first governor and immediately began organizing provisions and recruiting settlers. The company sent approximately 100 new settlers with provisions to join Conant in 1628, led by Governor's Assistant John Endecott , one of the grantees. The next year, Naumkeag was renamed Salem and fortified by another 300 settlers led by Rev. Francis Higginson , one of

685-548: A Signa near Sassoforte) and Assisi (in the Piazza del Vescovado) one of the most important private collections of Italian art, which included works by Duccio di Boninsegna , Pietro Lorenzetti , Lorenzo Monaco , Jacopo della Quercia , Gentile da Fabriano , il Sassetta , Sano di Pietro , and Filippo Lippi among others. Perkins's expertise helped both Dan Fellows Platt and George Blumenthal develop their own personal art collections. Perkins married Lucy Olcott in 1900 but

822-406: A body to veto the general court's act. The consequence of the ensuing debate was that the general court voted in 1644 that the council of assistants would sit and deliberate separately from the general court (they had sat together until then), and both bodies must concur for any legislation to be passed. Judicial appeals were to be decided by a joint session, since otherwise the assistants would be in

959-693: A campus at the northern edge of Plymouth Center in the Citizens Bank building. The campus opened in 1994, and the main campus is located in Milton . While the University of Massachusetts Boston does not have a campus in Plymouth, it offers some courses at another location in Cordage Park. Plymouth is home to Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital-Plymouth (Jordan Hospital), the largest hospital in

1096-558: A country club, an inn and spa hotel, and a shopping village, completed in 2010. It is expected to contain 2,877 homes. Plymouth operates a large school system, with an enrollment of over 8,000 students. The Plymouth School District is one of the largest in the state, operating fourteen schools. This is larger than the Massachusetts average of eight schools. The school district operates 86 school buses under contract with First Student bus company. The schools in Plymouth include

1233-526: A dedicated Anglican , and he sought to suppress the religious practices of Puritans and other nonconforming beliefs in England. The persecution of many Puritans in the 1620s led them to believe that religious reform would not be possible while Charles was king, and many decided to seek a new life in the New World. John White continued to seek funding for a colony. On 19 March 1628 [ O.S. 1627],

1370-546: A house near their properties on the outskirts of the town. A town center that was well laid out would be fairly compact, with a tavern, school, possibly some small shops, and a meeting house that was used for civic and religious functions. The meeting house would be the center of the town's political and religious life. Church services might be held for several hours on Wednesday and all day Sunday. Puritans did not observe annual holidays, especially Christmas , which they said had pagan roots. Annual town meetings would be held at

1507-418: A larger kitchen (possibly with a brick or stone chimney including an oven), additional rooms, and a sleeping loft. These houses were the precursors to what is now called the saltbox style of architecture. Interiors became more elaborate in later years, with plaster walls, wainscoting , and potentially expensive turned woodwork in the most expensive homes. Colonists arriving after the first wave found that

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1644-577: A legal basis to continue their government, yet it remained intact until its official revocation in 1686. James II of England united Massachusetts with the other New England colonies in the Dominion of New England in 1686. The dominion was governed by Sir Edmund Andros without any local representation beyond his own hand-picked councillors, and it was extremely unpopular throughout New England. Massachusetts authorities arrested Andros in April 1689 after

1781-453: A local restaurant and gift shop, but does not have an on-site traffic control tower . Barnstable Municipal Airport , in Hyannis , offers additional scheduled carrier service. The airport offers scheduled flight services to Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, Boston and New York City . It is approximately 30 mi (48 km) from Plymouth. The nearest national and international airport

1918-478: A major pestilence which killed as many as two-thirds of the population. The land-use patterns of the Indigenous people included plots cleared for agricultural purposes and woodland territories for hunting game. Land divisions among the tribes were well understood. During the early 17th century, several European explorers charted the area, including Samuel de Champlain and John Smith . Plans began in 1606 for

2055-706: A number of new settlements that resulted in Connecticut Colony (by Hooker) and the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations (by Williams and others). Minister John Wheelwright was banished after the Antinomian controversy (like Anne Hutchinson ), and he moved north to found Exeter, New Hampshire . The advent of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms in 1639 brought a halt to major migration, and

2192-743: A public library, with a branch location in Manomet. Both libraries are a part of the Old Colony Library Network , which services 28 libraries throughout the South Shore . Additionally, as a seat of Plymouth County, there are several county facilities located in Plymouth. These include a County farm, the Registry of Deeds, two jails (the Massachusetts Correctional Institution – Plymouth and

2329-757: A remote section of the town north of Buzzards Bay , but does not have an exit. Finally, the short Plimoth Patuxet Highway allows easy access between Routes 3 and 3A, with an exit that allows direct entry to Plimoth Patuxet 's parking area. The highway is north of Manomet and south of Plymouth Center. Plymouth was one of two termini of the Kingston/Plymouth Old Colony Line of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority 's commuter rail, providing non-peak service to Braintree and as far north as Boston's South Station . The Plymouth MBTA station

2466-657: A significant number of men returned to England to fight in the war. Massachusetts authorities were sympathetic to the Parliamentary cause and had generally positive relationships with the governments of the English Commonwealth and the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell . The colony's economy began to diversify in the 1640s, as the fur trading, lumber, and fishing industries found markets in Europe and

2603-763: A small island in Plymouth Bay , is the only island in Plymouth. It is off the coast of Saquish Neck and has nine summer houses but no year-round inhabitants. Plymouth has a humid continental climate ( Dfb ) which is the predominant climate for Massachusetts. Due to its location on the Atlantic Ocean, humidity levels can be very high year-round. Plymouth's coastal location causes it to experience warmer temperatures than many inland locations in New England. Summers are typically hot and humid, while winters are cold, windy and often snowy. Plymouth's warmest month

2740-549: A wooden statue, and some drawings (the latter not presently on exhibition) to the Diocesan Museum and Crypt of St. Rufino. Perkins died in Assisi on October 12, 1955 and is buried in the Assisi cemetery. His photo archive, counting 8,000 objects, is housed at I Tatti's Berenson Library. Plymouth, Massachusetts Plymouth ( / ˈ p l ɪ m ə θ / ; historically also spelled as Plimouth and Plimoth )

2877-480: A year. An effort by Robert Gorges to establish an overarching civil and religious colonial structure for New England based in the same location likewise failed and most of the settlers left. Those families who remained after the departure of Gorges formed a permanent settlement the oldest in what would become Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1623, the Plymouth Council for New England , the successor to

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3014-461: A year. Plymouth, like other coastal Massachusetts towns, is very vulnerable to Nor'easter weather systems. The town is sometimes vulnerable to Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms , which infrequently threaten the Cape Cod region during the early autumn months. As of the census of 2010, there were 56,468 people, 21,269 households, and 14,742 families residing in the town; by population it

3151-430: Is Elizabeth Warren . The state's current junior (Class II) Senator is Edward Markey . On the local level, the town was governed by an open town meeting from 1622 until 1954. In 1953, citizens voted to adopt a representative town meeting form of government, led by a town manager and a board of selectmen . The current town manager of Plymouth is Derek Brindisi. Plymouth has a centralized municipal police force,

3288-532: Is Logan International Airport in Boston, roughly 43 mi (69 km) away. Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport , a state airport located in Warwick, Rhode Island , is about 63 mi (101 km) away. Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony (1628–1691), more formally the Colony of Massachusetts Bay , was an English settlement on the east coast of North America around

3425-589: Is July, with an average high temperature of 80.6  °F (27.0  °C ) and an average low of 61.6 °F (16.4 °C). The coldest month is January, with an average high temperature of 38.1 °F (3.4 °C) and an average low of 20.1 °F (−6.6 °C). Much like the rest of the Northeastern seaboard, Plymouth receives ample amounts of precipitation year-round. On average, summer months receive slightly less precipitation than winter months. Plymouth averages about 47.4 inches (120 cm) of rainfall

3562-603: Is a seasonal ferry to Provincetown and several other excursion lines that offer cruises of Plymouth Bay and Cape Cod Bay . The ferry is operated by Capt. John Boats and offers one round trip daily from June to September. The ferry leaves from the State Wharf in Plymouth Center. In addition to the ferry, Plymouth Harbor offers service for harbor excursions, whale watching tours, and deep sea fishing. The Plymouth & Brockton Bus Company (formerly known as

3699-601: Is a town and county seat of Plymouth County, Massachusetts , United States. Located in Greater Boston , the town holds a place of great prominence in American history, folklore, and culture, and is known as "America's Hometown". Plymouth was the site of the colony founded in 1620 by the Mayflower Pilgrims , where New England was first established. It is the oldest municipality in New England and one of

3836-552: Is characterized by low plains, while its western sections are extremely hilly and forested. Plymouth contains several small ponds scattered throughout its western quadrant, the largest being the Great Herring Pond (which is partly in the town of Bourne). A major feature of the town is the Myles Standish State Forest , which is in the southwestern region. Cachalot Scout Reservation , operated by

3973-421: Is known as Cordage Commerce Center. Plymouth has enjoyed rapid growth and development since the late twentieth century. It became more accessible to Boston in the early 1970s with improved railroads, highways, and bus routes, and the town's inexpensive land costs and low tax rates were factors in attracting thousands of new residents. Its population grew from 18,606 residents in 1970 to 45,608 residents in 1990,

4110-720: Is near Cordage Park in North Plymouth , along Route 3A. (The other terminus is in Kingston , behind the Kingston Collection .) Due to budget concerns as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the station was temporarily closed and service was only accessible at the Kingston station. In 2022, it was announced that the Plymouth station would be permanently closed due to budget constraints and a lack of demand. There

4247-762: Is now the United States . During the Revolutionary War , the Plymouth County militia was led by Colonel Theophilus Cotton of Plymouth. News reached Plymouth of the Battles of Concord and Lexington , and Cotton gathered his soldiers and marched on the town of Marshfield . A small British barracks had been established there on the estate of Nathaniel Ray Thomas, known today as the Daniel Webster Estate . Cotton's forces surrounded

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4384-516: Is the largest municipality in Massachusetts by area, and the largest in southern New England. The population was 61,217 at the 2020 U.S. census. It is one of two seats of Plymouth County, the other being Brockton . Prior to the arrival of the Pilgrims, the location of Plymouth was a village of the Wampanoag tribe called Patuxet . The region was visited twice by European explorers prior to

4521-560: Is the only hospital in Plymouth. South Shore Hospital operates several offices and physician labs in South Pond . South Shore Hospital, in South Weymouth , is the largest hospital in southeastern Massachusetts. Plymouth lies along the "Pilgrims Highway" portion of Route 3 , which is the major route between Cape Cod and Boston. The town can be accessed from six exits on the highway, which is more than any other municipality along

4658-474: Is with God's help that we found this corn, for how else could we have done it, without meeting some Indians who might trouble us. During their earlier exploration of the Cape, the Pilgrims had come upon a Native American burial site that contained corn, and they had taken the corn for future planting. On another occasion, they found an unoccupied house and had taken corn and beans, for which they made restitution with

4795-543: Is −70.66778. According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 134.0 sq mi (347 km ), of which 96.5 sq mi (250 km ) is land, and 37.5 sq mi (97 km ) (28%) is water. With the largest land area of any municipality in Massachusetts , Plymouth consists of several neighborhoods and geographical sections . Larger localities in

4932-532: The American Revolution . Many behaviors were frowned upon culturally which modern sensibilities might consider relatively trivial actions, and some led to criminal prosecution. These included sleeping during church services, playing cards, and engaging in any number of activities on the Sabbath. Conversely, there were laws which reflected attitudes that are still endorsed by popular sensibilities in

5069-645: The Church of England , believing that the Church had not completed the work of the Protestant Reformation . Today, these settlers are better known as the " Pilgrims ", a term coined by William Bradford . The Mayflower first anchored in the harbor of Provincetown, Massachusetts on November 11, 1620. The ship was headed for the mouth of the Hudson River (which was in the notional territory of

5206-557: The Colony of Virginia at the time, before the establishment of New Amsterdam ) but it did not go beyond Cape Cod . The Pilgrim settlers realized that they did not have a patent to settle in the region, so they signed the Mayflower Compact prior to disembarking. They explored various parts of Cape Cod and eventually sought a suitable location for a permanent settlement to the westward in Cape Cod Bay . They discovered

5343-677: The Glorious Revolution of 1688 deposed James, and the Massachusetts Bay Colony reverted to rule under its revoked charter until 1691, when a new charter was issued for the Province of Massachusetts Bay. This new province combined the Massachusetts Bay territories with those of the Plymouth Colony and proprietary holdings on Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard . Sir William Phips arrived in 1692 bearing

5480-533: The Massachusetts Bay , one of the several colonies later reorganized as the Province of Massachusetts Bay . The lands of the settlement were in southern New England , with initial settlements on two natural harbors and surrounding land about 15.4 miles (24.8 km) apart—the areas around Salem and Boston , north of the previously established Plymouth Colony . The territory nominally administered by

5617-644: The Merrimack River valley to the north, and the Nipmucs , Pocumtucs , and Mahicans occupied the western lands of Massachusetts, although some of those tribes were under tribute to the Mohawks , who were expanding aggressively from upstate New York. The total Indigenous population in 1620 has been estimated to be 7,000. This number was significantly larger as late as 1616; in later years, contemporaneous chroniclers interviewed Indigenous people who described

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5754-601: The Navigation Acts , which had been passed by Parliament to regulate trade within the English colonial empire. These regulations determined whom the colonies could trade with and how trade could be conducted, and New England merchants were flaunting them by trading directly with European powers. This infuriated many English merchants, commercial societies, and Royal committees who petitioned the King for action, claiming that

5891-667: The Plymouth & Brockton Street Railway ; commonly abbreviated as P&B ) offers daily scheduled intercity coach bus service from Plymouth to Boston's Logan International Airport , South Station in Downtown Boston and the Hyannis Transportation Center on Cape Cod with several intermediate stops along the way. P&B buses can be conveniently boarded in the Park-and-Ride Lot at Exit 13 off of Massachusetts State Route 3 adjacent to

6028-650: The Plymouth County Correctional Facility ) and the County Courthouse. Plymouth's major industry is tourism, with healthcare, technical and scientific research, real estate, and telecommunications also being primary industries. The largest employer in the town is Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center . Plymouth has experienced commercial and industrial success, with the downtown area and North Plymouth each becoming commercial centers and an industrial park opening outside of

6165-436: The "first Colony" and the "second Colony" were to be ruled by a Council composed of 13 individuals in each colony. The charter provided for an additional council of 13 persons named "Council of Virginia" which had overarching responsibility for the combined enterprise. The "first Colony" ranged from the 34th- to 41st-degree latitude north; the "second Colony" ranged from the 38th- to 45th-degree latitude. (The "first Colony" and

6302-542: The "second Colony" overlapped. The 1629 charter of King Charles I asserted that the second Colony ranged from 40th to 48th degrees north latitude, which reduced the overlap.) Investors from London were appointed to govern over any settlements in the "first Colony"; investors from the "Town of Plimouth in the County of Devon " were appointed to govern over any settlements in the "second Colony". The London Company proceeded to establish Jamestown . The Plymouth Company under

6439-539: The 1640s. In 1652, a currency shortage prompted the colony to authorize silversmith John Hull to issue coinage, now known as the oak tree, willow tree, and pine tree shillings . Political differences with England after the English Restoration led to the revocation of the colonial charter in 1684. King James II established the Dominion of New England in 1686 to bring all of the New England colonies under firmer crown control. The Dominion collapsed after

6576-463: The 1688 Glorious Revolution in England, and they re-established government under the forms of the vacated charter. However, dissenters from the Puritan rule argued that the government lacked a proper constitutional foundation, and some of its actions were resisted on that basis. King William III issued a charter in 1691, despite efforts by Massachusetts agents to revive the old colonial charter. It

6713-488: The 19th century, the town thrived as a center of rope making, fishing, and shipping, and was home to the Plymouth Cordage Company , formerly the world's largest rope making company. It continues to be an active port, but today its major industry is tourism. The town is served by Plymouth Municipal Airport and contains Pilgrim Hall Museum , the oldest continually operating museum in the United States. It

6850-694: The 21st century US, against things such as smoking tobacco, abusing one's mother-in-law, profane dancing, and pulling hair. Children, newcomers, and people with disabilities were exempt from punishment for such infractions. The colony's council of assistants sat as the final court of appeal and as the principal court for criminal issues of "life, limb, or banishment" and civil issues where the damages exceeded £100. Lesser offenses were heard in county courts or by commissioners appointed for hearing minor disputes. The lower courts were also responsible for issuing licenses and for matters such as probate. Juries were authorized to decide questions of both fact and law, although

6987-483: The Atlantic Coast League, and the two schools share a rivalry with each other. Students who decide to receive a technical education have the option of attending either Plymouth South Technical School or Plymouth North which now offers Technical studies in either Engineering or Facilities management . There were also 120 home educated children in Plymouth as of 2011. There is also a charter school in

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7124-533: The British troops, but Cotton determined not to fire, allowing the British to escape by water down the Green Harbor River and back to the security of the British forces occupying Boston . In the 1800s, Plymouth remained a relatively isolated seacoast town whose livelihood depended on fishing and shipping. The town eventually became a regional center of shipbuilding and fishing. Its principal industry

7261-441: The Cachalot District of the Narragansett Council of the Boy Scouts of America , lies adjacent to the state forest lands. There is also a smaller town forest, as well as several parks, recreation areas and beaches. Plymouth has nine public beaches, the largest being Plymouth Beach . Plymouth Beach guards Plymouth Harbor and consists mostly of a three-mile (5 km) long, ecologically significant barrier beach . Clark's Island ,

7398-404: The Council for New England issued a land grant to a new group of investors that included a few from the Dorchester Company. The land grant was for territory between the Charles River and Merrimack River that extended from "the Atlantick and westerne sea and ocean on the east parte, to the South sea on the west parte". The company to whom the grant was sold was styled "The New England Company for

7535-515: The General Court was supportive of Randolph and the changes that the crown wished to make, but the conservatives remained too powerful and blocked any attempt to side with England. However, as the tensions mounted between the crown and Massachusetts Bay, and threats mounted of legal action against the colony, the General Court did pass laws that acknowledged certain English admiralty laws while still making allowance for self-governance. Two delegates from Massachusetts Bay were sent to London to meet with

7672-476: The Indigenous peoples of southern New England rose up against the colonists and were decisively defeated, although at great cost in life to all concerned. The Massachusetts frontier was particularly hard hit: several communities in the Connecticut and Swift River valleys were abandoned. By the end of the war, most of the Indigenous population of southern New England made peace treaties with the colonists. England had difficulty enforcing its laws and regulations in

7809-435: The Information Center behind the McDonald's rest stop. The Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority (GATRA) provides local public transportation service on four separate bus routes within the Plymouth Area Link (PAL) service district. The Mayflower Link Route serves various points within the town and offers a direct connection with P&B bus service at the same Exit 13 Park-and-Ride facility. The Freedom Link and

7946-524: The Liberty Link both originate from Plymouth Center and serves several shopping destinations in Plymouth and neighboring Kingston. A deviated route is provided by GATRA along the town's coastal shoreline between the neighborhoods of Manomet and Cedarville in the southeastern section of Plymouth. The town is home to the Plymouth Municipal Airport , which lies on the border between Plymouth and Carver . Founded in 1931, it offers scheduled service to Nantucket , as well as private service. The airport features

8083-401: The Lords of Trade when the crown threatened the colony with a quo warranto . The Lords demanded a supplementary charter to alleviate problems, but the delegates were under orders that they could not negotiate any change with the Charter and this enraged the Lords. The quo warranto was issued immediately. The King feared that this would stir problems within the colony and attempted to reassure

8220-402: The Massachusetts Bay Colony covered much of central New England, including portions of Massachusetts , Maine , New Hampshire , and Connecticut . The Massachusetts Bay Colony was founded by the owners of the Massachusetts Bay Company , including investors in the failed Dorchester Company , which had established a short-lived settlement on Cape Ann in 1623. The colony began in 1628 and was

8357-547: The Massachusetts Bay colony, as it was a joint-stock colony which was unlike the royal colonies and proprietary colonies that the English crown administered. Massachusetts Bay was largely self-governing with its own house of deputies, governor, and other self-appointed officers. The colony also did not keep its headquarters and oversight in London but moved them to the colony. The Massachusetts Bay colonists viewed themselves as something apart from their "mother country" of England because of this tradition of self-rule, coupled with

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8494-443: The Mount Pleasant Preschool, eight elementary schools (Cold Spring, Federal Furnace, Hedge, Indian Brook, Manomet, Nathanial Morton, South and West Elementaries) which generally serve students from kindergarten to fifth grade, two middle schools that serve grades 5–8, Plymouth Community Intermediate School (PCIS) and Plymouth South Middle School, and two high schools , Plymouth North and Plymouth South . Both high schools play in

8631-505: The New England area for fishing and trade with the Indigenous population. In December 1620, a group of English religious Separatists , later referred to as " the Pilgrims ", established Plymouth Colony just to the south of Massachusetts Bay, seeking to preserve their cultural identity and attain religious freedom. Plymouth's colonists faced great hardships and earned few profits for their investors, who sold their interests to them in 1627. Edward Winslow and William Bradford were two of

8768-485: The New England colonists were hurting their trade. The Lords of Trade's complaints were so serious that the King sent Edward Randolph to Boston in an attempt to rein in and regulate the colony. When he arrived in Boston, he found a colonial government that refused to give in to the royal demands. Randolph reported to London that the General Court of Massachusetts Bay claimed that the King had no right to interfere with their commercial dealings. In response, Randolph asked

8905-430: The Pilgrims Highway. Plymouth is also the eastern terminus of U.S. Route 44 . The route has changed recently, as a new divided highway section has linked it to Route 3, before heading south and exiting at its old location before terminating at Route 3A , which more closely follows the shoreline and passes through Plymouth Center. Route 80 's western terminus is at its intersection with old Route 44. Route 25 goes through

9042-494: The Plymouth Company, established a small fishing village at Cape Ann under the supervision of the Dorchester Company, with Thomas Gardner as its overseer. This company was originally organized through the efforts of Puritan minister John White (1575–1648) of Dorchester , in the English county of Dorset . White has been called "the father of the Massachusetts Colony" because of his influence in establishing this settlement, even though he never emigrated. The Cape Ann settlement

9179-434: The Plymouth Police Department. The town also has a professional fire department, with seven firehouses spread around the town. There are also six post offices for the town's five ZIP codes , with one in the downtown area, one in North Plymouth , one in Manomet , one in White Horse Beach , one near the Plymouth County Jail, and one near the town forest in "The Village Green" shopping area of The Pinehills . The town has

9316-477: The West Indies, and the colony's shipbuilding industry developed. The growth of a generation of people born in the colony and the rise of a merchant class began to slowly change the political and cultural landscape of the colony, even though its governance continued to be dominated by relatively conservative Puritans. Colonial support for the Commonwealth created tension after the throne was restored to Charles II in 1660. Charles sought to extend royal influence over

9453-456: The ability to vote in the colony. After a protest over the imposition of taxes by a meeting of the council of assistants, the general court ordered each town to send two representatives known as deputies to meet with the court to discuss matters of taxation. Questions of governance and representation arose again in 1634 when several deputies demanded to see the charter, which the assistants had kept hidden from public view. The deputies learned of

9590-475: The average family size was 3.04. In the town, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 20, 10.7% from 20 to 29, 28.8% from 30 to 49, 22.2% from 50 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.4 years. The median income for a household in the town was $ 54,677 as of the 2000 census, and the median income for a family was $ 63,266. Males had a median income of $ 44,983 versus $ 31,565 for females. The per capita income for

9727-432: The capital of Plymouth Colony (which consisted of modern-day Barnstable , Bristol , and Plymouth counties) from its founding in 1620 until 1691, when the colony was merged with the Massachusetts Bay Colony and other territories to form the Province of Massachusetts Bay . Plymouth holds the distinction of being the first permanent European settlement in New England, and one of the oldest European settlements in what

9864-480: The charter and formally took charge of the new province, when the colony, beginning in Salem Village , was coming to grips with the witch trials crises. Before the arrival of European colonists on the eastern shore of New England, the area around Massachusetts Bay was the territory of several Algonquian-speaking peoples, including the Massachusetts , Nausets , and Wampanoags . The Pennacooks occupied

10001-427: The colonies, which Massachusetts resisted along with the other colonies. For example, the Massachusetts Bay colony repeatedly refused requests by Charles and his agents to allow the Church of England to become established, and the New England colonies generally resisted the Navigation Acts , laws that restricted colonial trade to England alone. The New England colonies were ravaged by King Philip's War (1675–76), when

10138-591: The colonists from trading with any nation other than England. Colonial resistance to those acts led King Charles to revoke the Massachusetts charter and consolidate all the colonies in New England, New York, and New Jersey into the Dominion of New England . Territory claimed but never administered by the colonial government extended theoretically as far west as the Pacific Ocean. The Dutch colony of New Netherland disputed many of its territorial claims, arguing that they held rights to land beyond Rhode Island up to

10275-407: The colonists how to farm corn, where and how to catch fish, and other helpful skills for the New World. He also was instrumental in the survival of the settlement for the first two years. Squanto and Hobomok , another guide sent by Massasoit in 1621, helped the colonists set up trading posts for furs. Chief Massasoit later formed a Peace Treaty with the Pilgrims. Upon growing a plentiful harvest in

10412-659: The colonists or were sold into slavery after King Philips's War (apart from the Pequot tribe, whose survivors were largely absorbed into the Narragansett and Mohegan tribes following the Pequot War). The Massachusetts Bay Colony was economically successful, trading with England, Mexico, and the West Indies. In addition to barter, transactions were done in English pounds, Spanish " pieces of eight ", and wampum in

10549-579: The colonists that their private interests would not be infringed upon. The declaration did create problems, however, and the confrontations increased between the moderates and conservatives. The moderates controlled the office of the Governor and the Council of Assistants, and the conservatives controlled the Assembly of Deputies. This political turmoil ended in a compromise with the deputies voting to allow

10686-517: The colony were eligible to become freemen and gain the vote. This restriction was not changed until after the English Restoration. The process by which individuals became members of one of the colony's churches involved a detailed questioning by the church elders of their beliefs and religious experiences; as a result, only individuals whose religious views accorded with those of the church leadership were likely to become members and gain

10823-435: The colony's founders believed to be important for forming a proper relationship with God. Towns were obligated to provide education for their children, which was usually satisfied by hiring a teacher of some sort. The quality of these instructors varied, from minimally educated local people to Harvard-educated ministers. The structure of the colonial government changed over the lifetime of the charter. The Puritans established

10960-513: The colony's leaders and were likely the authors of a work published in England in 1622 called Mourt's Relation . This book in some ways resembles a promotional tract intended to encourage further immigration. Plymouth Colony would remain separate from Massachusetts Bay Colony until the creation of the Province of Massachusetts Bay . There were other attempts at colonies more closely tied to England in 1623 and 1624 at Weymouth, Massachusetts . Thomas Weston's Wessagusset Colony failed in under

11097-420: The company's second attempt at colonization. It was successful, with about 20,000 people migrating to New England in the 1630s. The population was strongly Puritan and was governed largely by a small group of leaders strongly influenced by Puritan teachings. It was the first slave-holding colony in New England, and its governors were elected by an electorate limited to freemen who had been formally admitted to

11234-428: The court could decide if a jury failed to reach a decision. Sentences for offenses included fines and corporal punishments such as whipping and sitting in the stocks , with the punishments of banishment from the colony and death by hanging reserved for the most serious offenses. Evidence was sometimes based on hearsay and superstition. For example, the "ordeal of touch" was used in 1646 in which someone accused of murder

11371-486: The crown to cut off all trade to and from the colony and asked that further regulations be put in place. The crown did not wish to enforce such a harsh measure and risk alienating the moderate members of New England society who supported England, so the British offered conciliatory measures if Massachusetts Bay followed the law. Massachusetts Bay refused, and the Lords of Trade became wary of the colony's charter; they petitioned

11508-547: The crown to either revoke it or amend it. Randolph was made head of Customs and Surveyor General of New England, with his office in Boston. Despite this increased pressure, the General Court established laws that allowed merchants to circumvent Randolph's authority. Adding to Randolph's frustration was his reliance on the Admiralty Court to rule on the laws that he was attempting to enforce. The moderate faction of

11645-466: The delegates in London to negotiate and defend the colonial charter. When the warrant arrived in Boston, the General Court voted on what course the colony should take. The two options were to immediately submit to royal authority and dismantle their government or to wait for the crown to revoke their charter and install a new governmental system. The General Court decided to wait out the crown. They lacked

11782-472: The early towns did not have room for them. Seeking land of their own, groups of families would petition the government for land on which to establish a new town; the government would typically allow the group's leaders to select the land. These grants were typically about 40 square miles (10,000 ha), and were located sufficiently near other towns to facilitate defense and social support. The group leaders would also be responsible for acquiring native title to

11919-405: The early years of the colony. Many colonists lived in fairly crude structures, including dugouts , wigwams , and dirt-floor huts made using wattle and daub construction. Construction improved in later years, and houses began to be sheathed in clapboard , with thatch or plank roofs and wooden chimneys. Wealthier individuals would extend their house by adding a lean-to on the back, which allowed

12056-460: The establishment of Plymouth Colony. In 1605, French explorer Samuel de Champlain sailed to Plymouth Harbor , calling it Port St. Louis. Captain John Smith was a leader of the colony at Jamestown, Virginia , and he explored parts of Cape Cod Bay and is credited with naming the region "New Plimouth." Two plagues afflicted coastal New England in 1614 and 1617, killing between 90% and 95% of

12193-489: The fall of 1621, the Pilgrims gathered with Squanto, Samoset, Massasoit, and ninety other Wampanoag men in a celebration of thanksgiving to God for their plentiful harvest. This celebration is known today as the First Thanksgiving . It is commemorated annually in downtown Plymouth with a parade and a reenactment. Since 1941, the United States has observed Thanksgiving as a federal holiday . Plymouth served as

12330-502: The first English chartered colony whose board of governors did not reside in England. This independence helped the settlers to maintain their Puritan religious practices without interference from the king, Archbishop Laud, or the Anglican Church of England . The charter remained in force for 55 years; Charles II revoked it in 1684. Parliament passed legislation collectively called the Navigation Acts which attempted to prevent

12467-499: The first ministers of the settlement. The first winters were difficult, with colonists struggling against starvation and disease, resulting in numerous deaths. The company leaders sought a royal charter for the colony because they were concerned about the legality of conflicting land claims given to several companies (including the New England Company) for the little-known territories of the New World, and because of

12604-402: The first permanent British settlements on the east coast of North America. On April 10, 1606, King James I of England granted a charter forming two joint-stock companies. Neither of these corporations was given a name by this charter, but the territories were named as the "first Colony" and "second Colony", over which they were respectively authorized to settle and to govern. Under this charter,

12741-540: The future direction of the colony. Many wealthy merchants and colonists wished to expand their economic base and commercial interests and saw the conservative Puritan leadership as thwarting that. Even in Puritan society, the younger generation wished to liberalize society in a way that would help with commerce. Those who wanted Massachusetts Bay and New England to be a place for religious observance and theocracy were most hostile to any change in governance. The Crown learned of these divisions and sought to include non-Puritans in

12878-425: The government and legal system of the colonies. These commissioners were to bring the New England colonies into a stronger connection with England, including allowing the crown to nominate the governor of the colony. The New England colonists refused, claiming that the King had no right to "supervise" Massachusetts Bay's laws and courts, and saying that they ought to continue as they were so long as they remained within

13015-413: The governor and deputy from among themselves. The general court determined at the next session that it would elect the governor and deputy. An additional 116 settlers were admitted to the general court as freemen in 1631, but most of the governing and judicial power remained with the council of assistants. They also enacted a law specifying that only those men who "are members of some of the churches" in

13152-564: The guidance of Sir Ferdinando Gorges covered the more northern area, including New England , and established the Sagadahoc Colony in 1607 in Maine . The experience proved exceptionally difficult for the 120 settlers, however, and the surviving colonists abandoned the colony after only one year. Gorges noted that "there was no more speech of settling plantations in those parts" for a number of years. English ships continued to come to

13289-403: The increasing number of Puritans who wanted to join them. Charles granted the new charter on 4 March 1629 [O.S. 1628], superseding the land grant and establishing a legal basis for the new English colony at Massachusetts, appointing Endecott as governor. It was not apparent whether Charles knew that the company was meant to support the Puritan emigration, and he was likely left to assume that it

13426-407: The lands that they selected. By this means, the colony expanded into the interior, spawning settlements in adjacent territories as well. The land within a town would be divided by communal agreement, usually allocating by methods that originated in England. Outside a town center, land would be allocated for farming, some of which might be held communally. Farmers with large plots of land might build

13563-429: The leadership in the hope of managing the colony. The charges of insubordination against the colony included denying the crown's authority to legislate in New England, asserting that Massachusetts Bay was governing in the Province of New Hampshire and Maine , and denying freedom of conscience. However, chief among the colonists' transgressions were the coining of money ( the pine tree shilling ) and their violations of

13700-476: The legal rights and privileges of their charter. The Commissioners asked that the colony pay its obligated 20 percent of all gold and silver found in New England, but the colonists responded that they were "not obligated to the king but by civility". Massachusetts Bay extended the right to vote only to Puritans, but the population of the colony was increasing and the non-Puritan population was growing along with it; thus, tensions and conflicts were growing concerning

13837-557: The line between Plymouth and Barnstable counties. The town is located roughly 44 miles (71 km) southeast of Boston (it is almost exactly 40 miles (64 km) from Plymouth Rock to the Massachusetts State House ) and equidistantly east of Providence , Rhode Island . Located in the Plymouth Pinelands , the town of Plymouth has many distinct geographical features. The town's Atlantic coast

13974-581: The local Wampanoag inhabitants. The near destruction of the tribe from disease resulted in their cornfields and cleared areas being vacant for the Pilgrims to occupy. Plymouth played a very important role in American colonial history. It was the final landing site of the first voyage of the Mayflower and the location of the original settlement of Plymouth Colony . Plymouth was established in December 1620 by separatist Puritans who had broken away from

14111-553: The local church. As a consequence, the colonial leadership showed little tolerance for other religious views, including Anglican , Quaker , and Baptist theologies. The colonists had good relationships with the local Native Americans ; however, they did join their neighbor colonies in the Pequot War (1636–1638) and King Philip's War (1675–1678). After that, most of the Indians in southern New England made peace treaties with

14248-774: The meeting house, generally in May, to elect the town's representatives to the general court and to transact other community business. Towns often had a village green , used for outdoor celebrations and activities such as military exercises of the town's trainband or militia . Many of the early colonists who migrated from England came with some or all of their family. It was expected that individuals would marry fairly young and begin producing offspring. Infant mortality rates were comparatively low, as were instances of childhood death. Men who lost their wives often remarried fairly quickly, especially if they had children needing care. Older widows would also sometimes marry for financial security. It

14385-527: The mid-1640s, Massachusetts Bay Colony had grown to more than 20,000 inhabitants. The charter granted the general court the authority to elect officers and to make laws for the colony. Its first meeting in North America was held in October 1630, but it was attended by only eight freemen. They formed the first council of assistants and voted (contrary to the terms of the charter) that they should elect

14522-464: The most notable being the risk of starvation and the lack of suitable shelter. From the beginning, the colonists depended on the assistance of Native Americans. One colonist's journal reports: We marched to the place we called Cornhill, where we had found the corn before. At another place we had seen before, we dug and found some more corn, two or three baskets full, and a bag of beans. ... In all we had about ten bushels, which will be enough for seed. It

14659-526: The occupants about six months later. Even greater assistance came from Samoset and Tisquantum (known as Squanto by the Pilgrims), a Native American sent by Wampanoag Chief Massasoit as an ambassador and technical adviser. Squanto had been kidnapped in 1614 by a colonist and sold into slavery in Málaga , Spain . With the help of another colonist, he escaped slavery, and returned home in 1619. He taught

14796-555: The oldest in the United States. The town has served as the location of several prominent events, one of the more notable being the First Thanksgiving feast . Plymouth served as the capital of Plymouth Colony from its founding in 1620 until the colony's merger with the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691. The English explorer John Smith named the area Plymouth (after the city in South West England) and

14933-411: The population. There were 21,269 households, out of which 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.6% were married couples living together, 10.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% were non-families. 23.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and

15070-541: The position to veto attempts to overturn their own decisions. The King and the British government held enough power in Massachusetts Bay in the 1630s that Puritans and others were afraid of being sent home if they got word of unorthodox beliefs such as what Roger Williams expounded. During 1641, the colony formally adopted the Massachusetts Body of Liberties , which Nathaniel Ward compiled. This document consisted of 100 civil and criminal laws based upon

15207-404: The provisions that the general court should make all laws, and that all freemen should be members of the general court. They then demanded that the charter be enforced to the letter, which Governor Winthrop pointed out was impractical given the growing number of freemen. The parties reached a compromise and agreed that the general court would be made up of two deputies representing each town. Dudley

15344-469: The region 'New England' during his voyage of 1614 (the accompanying map was published in 1616). It was a later coincidence that, after an aborted attempt to make the 1620 trans-Atlantic crossing from Southampton, the Mayflower finally set sail for America from Plymouth , England. Plymouth is located approximately 40 miles (64 km) south of Boston in a region known as the South Shore . Throughout

15481-503: The sheltered waters of Plymouth Harbor on December 17. From the protected bay they found a site for the new settlement after three days of surveying. The settlers officially disembarked on December 21, 1620. It is traditionally said that the Pilgrims first set foot in America at the site of Plymouth Rock , though no historical evidence exists in support of this claim. The Plymouth colony faced many difficulties during its first winter,

15618-692: The social sanctions recorded in the Bible. These laws formed the nucleus of colonial legislation until independence and contained some provisions later incorporated into the United States Constitution , such as the ideas of equal protection and double jeopardy . Massachusetts Bay was the first colony to formalize laws concerning slavery with provision 91 of the Massachusetts Body of Liberties which developed protections for people unable to perform public service. Another law

15755-525: The southern region of the South Shore. It is the only major healthcare provider in the town. The hospital is a community medical center serving twelve towns in Plymouth and Barnstable counties. It consists of more than 30 departments, with 150 patient beds. The hospital also offers a rehabilitation center in The Pinehills region. While Beth Israel Deaconess – Plymouth Hospital (Jordan Hospital)

15892-606: The state level, primary but shared patrolling responsibility of the town's limited access highways falls upon the Seventh (Bourne) Barracks of Troop D of the Massachusetts State Police . On the national level, Plymouth is a part of Massachusetts's 9th congressional district , and is currently represented by William R. Keating . The state's senior (Class I) member of the United States Senate

16029-411: The theocratic nature of New England Puritan society. The Puritan founders of Massachusetts and Plymouth saw themselves as having been divinely given their lands in the New World with a duty to implement and observe religious law. English colonists took control of New Netherland in 1664, and the crown sent royal commissioners to New England from the new Province of New York to investigate the status of

16166-680: The time Perkins was young he had an interest in Italian art history and in particular for works produced in Tuscany and Umbria in the 14th and 15th centuries. Throughout his life he not only studied these works but also produced catalogs and research about them. He collaborated with specialist art magazines, for example Rassegna d'Arte (founded in 1901) and La Diana, where he published some of his research. He became an art dealer and well known expert, maintaining in his houses in Florence ( Lastra

16303-415: The town center. Colony Place was completed in late 2007, located near the industrial park. It consists of several large retail stores and various chain restaurants, and it contains one of the largest designer outlet malls on the South Shore. Plymouth has also recently seen the development of several residential projects, among them The Pinehills , which consists of 1,000 residential units, two golf courses,

16440-445: The town include Plymouth Center , North , West and South Plymouth , Manomet , Cedarville , and Saquish Neck . Plymouth makes up the entire western shore of Cape Cod Bay . It is bordered on land by Bourne to the southeast, Wareham to the southwest, Carver to the west, and Kingston to the north. It also shares a small border with Duxbury at the land entrance of Saquish Neck. Plymouth's border with Bourne makes up most of

16577-686: The town was $ 23,732. About 4.4% of families and 5.4% of the population were below the poverty line , including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over. Plymouth is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives as a part of the First and Twelfth Plymouth Districts. The town is represented in the Massachusetts Senate as a part of the Plymouth and Barnstable district, which also includes Bourne , Falmouth , Kingston , Pembroke , and Sandwich . On

16714-603: The town, Rising Tide Charter Public School , which serves middle and high school-aged students. Two special education schools, the Baird School and the Radius Pediatric School, are located in the town. The town has two institutions of higher learning. Quincy College has a campus located in Cordage Park. The Plymouth campus opened in 1991, and the college's main campus is in Quincy . Curry College has

16851-569: The union did not last long. In 1913 he married again, to Irene Vavasour Elder, and this marriage lasted until his death. During World War II, Perkins and his wife were interned in Perugia . Perkins's works of art in Assisi were sequestered and only returned to him after the end of the German occupation of Assisi in October 1944. After the war, Perkins moved to Assisi (before 1947) taking his collection with him. Later, he decided to donate fifty-seven of

16988-479: The voyage. Over the next ten years, about 20,000 Puritans emigrated from England to Massachusetts and the neighboring colonies during the Great Migration . Many ministers reacted to the repressive religious policies of England, making the trip with their congregations, among whom were John Cotton , Roger Williams , Thomas Hooker , and others. Religious divisions and the need for additional land prompted

17125-515: The western side of Cape Cod, under the jurisdiction of Plymouth Colony at the time. A flotilla of ships sailed from England beginning in April 1630, sometimes known as the Winthrop Fleet . They began arriving at Salem in June and carried more than 700 colonists, Governor John Winthrop , and the colonial charter. Winthrop delivered his famous sermon " City upon a Hill " either before or during

17262-749: The works in his collection to the Conventual Franciscasn Friars at the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi, and today these works can be seen in the Basilica's Treasure Museum. Other works from his collection became part of the collections of the Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria and the Diocese of Assisi . In 2004, Sergio Goretti , bishop of Assisi, assigned the 33 works donated to the Diocese, including numerous paintings,

17399-420: Was also normal for older widowed parents to live with one of their children. Due to the Puritan perception of marriage as a civil union, divorce did sometimes occur and could be pursued by both genders. Sexual activity was expected to be confined to marriage. Sex outside of marriage was considered fornication if neither partner was married, and adultery if one or both were married to someone else. Fornication

17536-460: Was chiefly negotiated by Increase Mather in his role as the colony's ambassador-extraordinary, unifying Massachusetts Bay with Plymouth Colony , Martha's Vineyard , Nantucket , and territories that roughly encompass Maine , New Brunswick , and Nova Scotia to form the Province of Massachusetts Bay . This new charter additionally extended voting rights to non-Puritans, an outcome that Mather had tried to avoid. Life could be quite difficult in

17673-439: Was developed to protect married women, children, and people with mental disabilities from making financial decisions. Colonial law differentiated among types of mental disabilities, classifying them as "distracted persons", "idiots", and "lunaticks". In 1693, "poor laws" enabled communities to use the estates of people with disabilities to defer the cost of community support of those individuals. Many of these laws remained until

17810-413: Was elected governor in 1634, and the general court reserved a large number of powers for itself, including those of taxation, distribution of land, and the admission of freemen. A legal case in 1642 brought about the separation of the council of assistants into an upper house of the general court. The case involved a widow's lost pig and had been overturned by the general court, but the assistants voted as

17947-407: Was generally punished by fines and pressure to marry; a woman who gave birth to an illegitimate child could also be fined. Adultery and rape were more serious crimes, and both were punishable by death. Rape, however, required more than one witness, and was therefore rarely prosecuted. Sexual activity between men was called sodomy , and was also punishable by death. Within the marriage, the husband

18084-558: Was not profitable, and the financial backers of the Dorchester Company terminated their support by the end of 1625. Their settlement was abandoned at present-day Gloucester , but a few settlers remained in the area, including Roger Conant , establishing a settlement a little further south at what is now Salem , near the village of the Naumkeag tribe . Archbishop William Laud was a favorite advisor of King Charles I and

18221-579: Was purely for business purposes, as was the custom. The charter omitted a significant clause: the location for the annual stockholders' meeting. Charles dissolved Parliament in 1629, whereupon the company's directors met to consider the possibility of moving the company's seat of governance to the colony. This was followed later that year by the Cambridge Agreement , in which a group of investors agreed to emigrate and work to buy out others who would not emigrate. The Massachusetts Bay Colony became

18358-571: Was the Plymouth Cordage Company , founded in 1824, which became the world's largest manufacturer of rope and cordage products. At one point, the longest ropewalk in the world was found on the Cordage Company's site on the North Plymouth waterfront, a quarter-mile (0.4 km) in length. The company thrived into the 1960s, but was forced out of business in 1964 due to competition from synthetic-fiber ropes. The factory has been renovated for use as numerous offices, restaurants, and stores, and

18495-513: Was the largest town in Massachusetts. It was also the 21st–largest municipality in the state. The population density was 536.0 inhabitants per square mile (207.0/km ). There were 21,250 housing units, at an average density of 85.1/km (220/sq mi). The racial makeup of the town was 94% White , 1.8% Black or African American , 0.3% Native American , 0.7% Asian , <0.1% Pacific Islander , 0.9% from other races , and 1.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2% of

18632-419: Was typically responsible for supplying the family's financial needs, although it was not uncommon for women to work in the fields and to perform some home labor (for example, spinning thread or weaving cloth) to supplement the family income. Women were almost exclusively responsible for seeing to the welfare of the children. Children were baptized at the local meeting house within a week of being born. The mother

18769-419: Was usually not present because she was still recovering from the birth, and the child's name was usually chosen by the father. Names were propagated within the family, and names would be reused when infants died. If an adult died without issue, his (or her) name could be carried on when the siblings of the deceased named children in his or her memory. Most children received some form of schooling, something which

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