Final answer:
The Pilgrims endured a harsh first winter at Plymouth from December 1620 to February 1621, with half the group perishing due to scarcity of provisions. The Mayflower Compact was signed, establishing self-rule, and despite the hardships, none of the original colonists chose to return to England.
Step-by-step explanation:
Between December 1620 and February 1621, the Pilgrims faced a brutal winter after settling at Plymouth. Having arrived too late in the season to plant crops, their first winter in the New World was extremely difficult and similar in hardship to that experienced by the settlers at Jamestown. The Pilgrims had spent a month exploring, which depleted their provisions. As a result, they suffered from a lack of food and shelter against the cold. By spring, half of the Pilgrims had perished, including their governor, John Carver.
The Mayflower, which had brought them across the Atlantic, remained in port during this time. When it set sail back to England in April 1621, not a single one of the original colonists left; they all chose to stay and continue their lives in the New World, despite the severe losses they had faced. This period also saw the signing of the Mayflower Compact, establishing a form of self-rule among the survivors.