ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Plymouth Rock

Okay so let's talk about Plymouth Rock. It's a big ol' rock that sits in the town of Plymouth, Massachusetts.

A long long time ago, in the year 1620, a group of people called the Pilgrims sailed on a big ship called the Mayflower to start a new life in America. When they arrived in Plymouth, they needed a place to stay so they built houses and started a new colony.

Now, we don't know for sure if the Pilgrims actually stepped on the rock when they got off the ship. In fact, the first time the rock was mentioned was about 120 years later, in the year 1741.

But people really liked the idea of having a big rock to symbolize the arrival of the Pilgrims, so they started saying that Plymouth Rock was the spot where they landed.

Today, you can go see Plymouth Rock if you visit Plymouth, Massachusetts. It's just a big old rock, but it's an important part of American history because it reminds us of the brave people who came from far away to start a new life in a new land.