Leadership

LEADERSHIP IN PLYMOUTH COLONY

Church and state were governed separately in Plymouth Colony. The Governor, with the help of his Assistants, or council, presided over the General Court. Until 1639, the General Court was made up of the freemen of the colony, who assembled to vote on laws and try court cases. After 1639 each town sent representatives to the General Court.

		William Bradford was the long-time governor of Plymouth Colony, serving in that capacity almost continuously from 1621 until 1656. The Governor and his Assistants negotiated with the Wampanoag and other Native groups, as well as with other colonies. Click HERE for information about William Bradford.
William Bradford by Cyrus Dallin

Click HERE for a list of leaders : Governors of Plymouth Colony and Native leaders of the Plymouth area.

Religious matters were the responsibility of the church leaders, although the Court was responsible for declaring days of fasting or thanksgiving. In the early years, the colony had no minister. The Reverend John Robinson died in Leiden before he could join his followers.

The Separatist group had no regular minister until the 1630s. In the early years, elders and deacons helped to lead the church.

Click HERE for information on Elder William Brewster. Click HERE for information on Deacon Samuel Fuller.
		*Detail (William Brewster) from The First Thanksgiving* by Jennie A. Brownscombe**

The other important leader in Plymouth Colony was Myles Standish, the colony’s military captain. Standish supervised the colony's militia muster. Every able-bodied man between 16 and 60 was required to serve in the militia.

Several times each year, the men would assemble, or muster, to practice marching and shooting. Although Plymouth had made a treaty with several Wampanoag communities in 1621, the Narragansett to the west and the Massachusett to the north were still a threat. In the 1637, war broke out between Massachusetts Bay Colony and the Pequot in Connecticut. Although the war never spread to Plymouth, the local militia was kept ready.