Oklahoma Academic Standard 1. The student will examine and compare the Jamestown and Plymouth settlements as the foundations of American culture and society.

Objective 5.1.7 Explain the early successes and challenges of the Plymouth settlement including:

A.  practice of self-government established by the Mayflower Compact

B.  contributions of American Indians including Chief Massasoit and Squanto

C.  leadership of William Bradford 

In a Nutshell

This objective focuses on the experiences of the early English settlement of Plymouth, including the Pilgrim’s establishment of a written plan of self-government in the form of the Mayflower Compact. Students should understand that creating a new settlement was challenging and often times doomed but for the contributions of local Indians and strong leadership which eventually awarded the colony success.

Teacher Action 

Student Action 

• Guide students in explaining how culture, political, and economic actions can influence the successes and challenges of the Plymouth colony.

• Engage students in a collaborative discussion about the importance of the Mayflower Compact to American democratic principles. 

• Describe the specific contributions of individuals and groups who shaped the development of the Plymouth Settlement.

• Examine the purposes of government and laws as expressed in the Mayflower Compact. 

Key Concepts 

Misconceptions 

• William Bradford's leadership, concept of self-rule and democracy, "social contract", Mayflower Compact

• permanent settlement, fur trade

• leadership of Massasoit

• "The Strangers", Myles Standish 

• social and legal systems relationship to religious beliefs 

• Students may find it difficult to understand the strong influence of religion in colonial civil government and community laws, in spite of the Puritan goal of Puritans a colony for religious freedom. 

Instructional Resources