The name of the ship that brought the first European settlers to America was the Mayflower. This ship famously carried a group of English Pilgrims, known as Separatists, fleeing religious persecution in England. In September 1620, the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England, and arrived at what is now Cape Cod, Massachusetts, in November. Though it was initially headed for the Virginia Colony, the Pilgrims decided to establish a settlement in the New World. Their arrival led to the founding of Plymouth Colony and the implementation of the Mayflower Compact, a foundational document that established a form of self-governance for the settlers.