The document discusses the origins and founding of the Plymouth Colony by a group of English Protestants known as the Pilgrims. It describes how religious persecution in England led the Pilgrims to flee to Holland and eventually settle in America. In 1620, the Mayflower carried 102 Pilgrims and non-Pilgrims from Plymouth, England on a difficult 8 week journey, where they eventually landed at Cape Cod and established the Plymouth Colony, signing the Mayflower Compact to govern themselves. The first winter was extremely difficult, with many Pilgrims dying due to lack of shelter and food, but they received help from the local Wampanoag tribe, establishing an early friendship.