Colonial Plymouth

In 1620, a group of Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic Ocean on the Mayflower seeking religious freedom. They came upon a land new to them but which had been home to the Wampanoag tribe for more than 10,000 years. To the Pilgrims’ surprise, some of these Native Americans already knew some English, and they taught the Pilgrims how to adapt to this new environment. Discover the history behind the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag, and how their harvest feast became our celebration of Thanksgiving through the direct links on the Times Launch Point Web site: https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint.

Level 1

Scholastic: The First Thanksgiving: The first Thanksgiving was a celebration of the friendship between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe that taught them how to survive in a new land. Learn about the Pilgrims through an interview with a modern-day Wampanoag, view an illustrated timeline that describes the Pilgrims’ adventures on the Mayflower and life in Plymouth, and test your knowledge with an online challenge.

https://teacher.scholastic.com/thanksgiving/index.htm

Virtual Tour of Plimoth Plantation: What kind of homes did the Pilgrims build and how did they prepare their food? View a reconstruction of a 1627 village, including photos of implements and a 17th century outdoor oven.

https://pilgrims.net/plimothplantation/vtour/index.htm

Facts about Pilgrim children: Find out what it was like to be a child growing up in New England in the 1600s.

https://www.plimoth.org/Education/funfacts.htm

Level 2

The History Channel: The History of Thanksgiving: Discover the truth behind various Mayflower myths and misconceptions about Thanksgiving. Travel back in time and hear Myles Standish and Ellinor Billington answer questions about what life was like at Plymouth Plantation.

https://www.historychannel.com/exhibits/thanksgiving/

Not Just for Kids: The First Thanksgiving: Read the Mayflower Compact and the Peace Treaty with Wampanoag leader Massasoit, which the Pilgrims signed in 1621. In the treaty, they promised to leave their weapons outside each other’s villages and to defend each other if either one of them was attacked.

https://www.night.net/thanksgiving/first.html-ssi

Plymouth: Its History and People: Find out why the Pilgrims came to America through this site that provides brief biographies of key historical figures as well as a list of the passengers who sailed on the Mayflower.

https://pilgrims.net/plymouth/history/index.htm

Level 3

Caleb Johnson’s Mayflower Web Pages: This well-organized site offers an extensive collection of historical resources on the Pilgrims, the Mayflower and the first Thanksgiving. Take a look at the clothing and the weapons of the Pilgrims, read their letters and other documents, and learn more about Tisquantum, or Squanto, who taught the Pilgrims so much.

https://members.aol.com/calebj/mayflower.html

Plimoth Plantation: Articles, illustrations and historical timelines tell the story of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe, who were known as the “People of the Dawn.”

https://www.plimoth.org/

Pilgrim Hall Museum: View historical documents and artifacts of the Pilgrims, including William Bradford’s journal. Learn about the history and traditions behind Thanksgiving and how this day has become a day of mourning and remembrance for Native Americans.

https://www.pilgrimhall.org/plgrmhll.htm

EXPLORER’S QUEST

The answer to this Internet quiz can be found in the sites at right.

How long did it take the Mayflower to sail from England to Cape Cod?

CLUE: See Scholastic: The First Thanksgiving.

Find What You Need to Know: Have a project on California history? Need help doing a math problem? Launch Point now overs more than 100 topics for getting your schoolwork done. Go to https://www.latimes.com/launchpoint/ for the full list of subjects and direct links to the best Internet sites.

Answer to last week’s Quest: Animals were exhibited in larger enclosures with a minimum of cages and bars.

Launch Point is produced by the UC Irvine department of education, which reviews each site for appropriateness and quality. Even so, parents should supervise their children’s use of the Internet. This column was designed by Anna Manring.