Mayflower

Ship in which the Pilgrims sailed in 1620 from Plymouth, England, to found Plymouth plantation and Plymouth colony in present-day Massachusetts.

The Mayflower was one of two ships scheduled for departure in 1620. The second ship, the Speedwell, was deemed unseaworthy, so 102 people were crowded into the 27-m/90-foot Mayflower, which was bound for Virginia. Tension between Pilgrim and non-Pilgrim passengers threatened to erupt into a mutiny. Blown off course, the ship reached Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in December. The Mayflower Compact was drafted to establish self-rule for the Plymouth colony and to protect the rights of all the settlers.