American History: Beginnings to 1877: 2. European Colonization of North America, Lessons 3–5

Years later, the founders of Plymouth became known to history as the Pilgrims, because they were religious people who traveled long distances to find a place where they could live and worship as they wanted.

Persecution is the mistreatment or punishment of certain people because of their beliefs.

The passengers resolved to settle farther south along the Hudson River, but the difficult sea voyage exhausted them.

On November 11, 1620, the 41 adult male passengers—both Pilgrims and non-Pilgrims—signed the Mayflower Compact.

These representatives were expected to show the religious virtues that the Pilgrims valued and to make decisions for the common good.

The migration to Massachusetts Bay during the 1630s was led by a religious group known as the Puritans. Unlike the Pilgrims, the Puritans did not want to separate entirely from the Church of England.

Religious tolerance means a willingness to let others practice their own beliefs.

In setting up a proprietary colony, the king gave land to one or more people in return for a yearly payment.

In setting up a proprietary colony, the king gave land to one or more people in return for a yearly payment.

Thousands of European settlers immigrated to New Jersey as a haven from war and poverty.

Wheat, barley, and rye were cash crops, or crops that were sold for money on the market and not consumed by the farmer's family.

To make sure Maryland continued to grow, Lord Baltimore welcomed Protestants as well as Catholics to the colony. Later, Lord Baltimore came to fear that the Protestants might try to deprive Catholics of their right to worship freely.

In 1649, he asked the assembly to pass an Act of Toleration. The law provided religious freedom for all Christians.

Settlers farther inland in South Carolina later learned to raise indigo, a plant used to make a valuable blue dye.

They wanted the new colony to be a place where debtors, or people who owed money they could not pay back, could make a fresh start.

Large Tidewater plantations often consisted of brick or framed mansions with nearby storehouses and quarters for enslaved workers.

The belief that one race is superior to another is called racism.