 A more serious threat came from the Massachusett tribe to the north and was precipitated by the arrival of a new group of English colonists . In April 1622 , the vanguard of a new colony arrived in Plymouth . They had been sent by merchant Thomas Weston to establish a new settlement somewhere near Plymouth . The men chose a site on the shore of what is now the Fore River in present @-@ day Weymouth , Massachusetts , about 25 miles ( 40 km ) north of Plymouth . They called their colony Wessagusset . The settlers of the poorly managed colony infuriated the Massachusett tribe through theft and recklessness . By March 1623 , Massasoit had learned that a group of influential Massachusett warriors intended to destroy both the Wessagusset and the Plymouth colonies . Massasoit warned the Pilgrims to strike first . One of the colonists of Wessagusset named Phineas Pratt verified that his settlement was in danger . Pratt managed to escape to Plymouth and reported that the English in Wessagusset had been repeatedly threatened by the Massachusett , the settlement was in a state of constant watchfulness , and that men were dying at their posts from starvation . 
