In this re-drop of a classic episode from late 2022, Rafe is joined by Harry to discuss the first part of Nathaniel Philbrick's book Mayflower and the story of the Pilgrims and how they came to America.
Starting as English puritans in Holland, the Pilgrims decide to pick up and move to America. This episode tracks the incredible travel from Leiden to the Pilgrims landing at the tip of Cade Cod before even eventually making a settlement at Plymouth. Along the way the Pilgrims are faced with hardship beyond measure: people taking advantage of their naivete, charlatans backing out of deals, and weather and the Atlantic Ocean making the travel to America a life-threatening affair. But fortitude, bravery, and a never-ending trust in Divine Providence eventually sees the Pilgrims to a safe landfall in November on Cape Cod and an eventual December landing at Plymouth Rock.
When Spring 1621 finally sprung, half of the settlers were dead. But half were still alive and what followed sent shockwaves through the local native populations, through the societies of Britain, and eventually around the world.