Transcript

The Mayflower | Saints and Strangers | American History Tellers

From American History Tellers · Episode page · Watch on YouTube

· 34 min · 5,860 words · 45 timestamped sections

This is the full, timestamped transcript of "The Mayflower | Saints and Strangers | American History Tellers", an episode of American History Tellers published November 6, 2025 (34 min, about 5,860 words). It mentions 64 people, works and ideas, including Separatists, Speedwell (spelled 'Speed Well'/'Speedway'), Leiden, Mayflower, Thomas Weston.

What this episode is about

In October 1620, the crew of the Mayflower faces a treacherous storm while navigating the Atlantic, grappling with the captain's desperate decision to either turn back to safety or push forward toward America despite the ship's deteriorating condition and the mounting pressures from the passengers. As tensions rise among the crew, they confront the dire consequences of their commitment to complete the voyage amid relentless challenges.

Key takeaways

  • In 1620, Mayflower's 'detour' created an unsinkable founding myth. Survival often overshadows sensible seamanship.
  • Puritans wanted scriptures pure, but storms and saltwater religion left pilgrimage mixed with mythology.
  • Bradford's bereavement propelled him from farmland to the New World; grief can chart uncharted courses.
  • The Mayflower: where hope met hardship; a voyage both blown off course and straight into history.
  • Thomas' insistence: Should the fear of a crew and coins outweigh a captain's better judgment?

Who speaks in this episode?

What is discussed, and when

  1. – 5:00: Mayflower, American History Tellers, Northern England, Pilgrims
  2. – 10:00: Puritans, Separatists, John Robinson, William Brewster
  3. – 15:00: Separatists, North Sea, Customs officers, John Robinson
  4. – 20:00: Separatists, Leiden, Virginia Company, Dorothy May
  5. – 25:00: Separatists, Leiden, Thomas Weston, Virginia Company
  6. – 30:00: Separatists, Southampton, Thomas Weston, Leiden
  7. – 33:42: Mayflower, Separatists, American History Tellers, Dartmouth

Notable quotes from "The Mayflower | Saints and Strangers | American History Tellers"

  • Imagine it's October 1620. It's late at night and you're on board the Mayflower somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. You're the captain of the ship and you and your crew are trying to navigate your way through a violent.
    about Mayflower · at
  • In 1590, William Bradford was born in the tiny farming village of Ostfield in Northern England. He came from a family of relatively prosperous farmers, but his childhood was marred by the loss of.
    about William Bradford · at
  • Scrubby. There a group met every Sunday to worship in secret under a charismatic Puritan minister named John Robinson.
    about John Robinson · at
  • Father figure in the postmaster who owned the house where the congregation met, William Brewster, who was 25 years Bradford senior. Before becoming postmaster, Brewster had…
    about William Brewster · at
  • Forward was to break away from it entirely. They were known as separatists. And Bradford's embrace of separatism came at a dangerous time.
    about Separatists · at
  • Of6009, they decided to lead their congregation to the university town of Leiden, 20 mi to the south. Once again, they would uproot themselves in the hope that they might…
    about Leiden · at
  • In London were beginning to lose hope of ever securing funds when a smoothtalking London-based merchant named Thomas Weston offered to organize financing for them. Weston had…
    about Thomas Weston · at
  • Docks in the Dutch port of Delhaban, where the speed well was waiting to take them to Southampton, England. Once back on English soil, they would rendevous with the strangers…
    about Southampton · at

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

  • Thomas Weston — Person · 6 mentions · first at
  • John Robinson — Person · 5 mentions · first at
  • William Bradford — Person · 4 mentions · first at
  • William Brewster — Person · 4 mentions · first at
  • Thomas (sailor on the Mayflower; dramatized) — Person · 4 mentions
  • Christopher Martin — Person · 2 mentions · first at
    Sending their own man to act as the Mayflower's governor. This doineering Puritan merchant named Christopher Martin was tasked with purchasing supplies and provisions. He and…
  • Lindsey Graham (podcast host) — Person · 2 mentions
  • King James I — Person · 1 mention · first at
    After King James I took the throne in6003, he began a sweeping crackdown on separatists, ending a period of relative religious tolerance. Because the king was the head of the Church of England,.
  • Bishop of York — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Heavy fines, jail time, or even death for holding religious gatherings. And in late607, the bishop of York became aware of the separatist meetings in Scrubby.
  • Dorothy May — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Weaving business. 2 years later, he married a fellow separatist, an English woman named Dorothy May. By then, he had become one of the leading members of Robinson's…
  • Captain Christopher Jones — Person · 1 mention · first at
    100 ft long and 25 ft wide, it was three times the size of the Speedway and helmed by Captain Christopher Jones.
  • Mohammad Shazi — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Edited, and produced by me, Lindsey Graham, for airship. Audio editing by Muhammad Shazi. Sound design by Molly Bach. Music by Thrum. This episode is written by Ellie Stanton, edited by Dorian Marina, senior producer Andy Becker. Executive.
  • Molly Bach — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Lindsey Graham, for airship. Audio editing by Muhammad Shazi. Sound design by Molly Bach. Music by Thrum. This episode is written by Ellie Stanton, edited by Dorian Marina…
  • Dorian Marina — Person · 1 mention · first at
    By Molly Bach. Music by Thrum. This episode is written by Ellie Stanton, edited by Dorian Marina, senior producer Andy Becker. Executive producers are Jenny Low Beckman and Marshall Louie for Wondering.
  • Andy Becker — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Episode is written by Ellie Stanton, edited by Dorian Marina, senior producer Andy Becker. Executive producers are Jenny Low Beckman and Marshall Louie for Wondering.
  • Marshall Louie — Person · 1 mention · first at
    Producer Andy Becker. Executive producers are Jenny Low Beckman and Marshall Louie for Wondering.
  • Ellie Stanton — Person · 1 mention
  • Jenny Lauer Beckman — Person · 1 mention

Books & papers

Companies & orgs

  • Merchant Adventurers (Pilgrim investors) — Company · 6 mentions
  • Virginia Company — Company · 4 mentions · first at
    Viable English colony in America had failed. The only existing settlement was in Jamestown, Virginia, founded in6007 by English soldiers and adventurers seeking gold. In the…
  • American History Tellers — Company · 3 mentions · first at
    From Wondery. I'm Lindsey Graham and this is American History Tellers. Our history, your story.
  • Plymouth Colony — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Without fear of persecution. Following a treacherous transatlantic voyage, they founded Plymouth Colony on the rocky shores of New England. And in the harrowing months that…
  • Protestant Church of England — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Robinson was part of a sect of devout Christians who had grown unhappy with the Protestant Church of England.
  • English Secretary of State — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Postmaster, Brewster had attended Cambridge University and served as an assistant to the English Secretary of State. He took Bradford under his wing, lending him books…
  • Customs officers — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Realized that the captain they had hired had double crossed them. He surrendered them to local customs officers who quickly boarded the ship and bundled them into boats back to…
  • King's magistrates — Company · 1 mention · first at
    Separatists of their possessions, these officers marched them through town and handed them over to the king's magistrates, who packed them into jail cells. After spending a…
  • Local militia — Company · 1 mention · first at
    They set off on a cold and cloudy evening that May, but the plan again quickly unraveled when the local militia arrived in the middle of the boarding process. Fearing capture…
  • Airship — Company · 1 mention · first at
    American History Tellers is hosted, edited, and produced by me, Lindsey Graham, for airship. Audio editing by Muhammad Shazi. Sound design by Molly Bach. Music by Thrum. This…
  • Thrum — Company · 1 mention

Products & tech

Concepts & topics

  • Separatists — Concept · 28 mentions · first at
  • Strangers (non-Separatist passengers) — Concept · 6 mentions
  • Puritans — Concept · 5 mentions · first at
    Its continuing emphasis on rituals and hierarchy. Robinson and other Christians like him became known as Puritans because of their desire to purify the church of what they saw…
  • Pilgrims — Concept · 3 mentions · first at
    102 passengers on a faithful voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. The men, women, and children known as pilgrims risked their lives, traveling thousands of miles to build a…
  • Saints (self-designation of the elect) — Concept · 2 mentions
  • The American dream — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Myth, a sacred cornerstone of a national identity built around freedom, grit, and the pursuit of the American dream. But the pilgrim's story was not only one of courage and…
  • Predestination — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Practices not found in the Bible. And Puritans also believed in predestination, the idea that from birth, God chose certain people, the elect, for salvation. They referred to…
  • Dutch textile industry — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Separatist congregation arrived in the thriving town of Leiden, the heart of the Dutch textile industry. Robinson purchased a large two-story house where he began holding twice…
  • Protestant Christianity — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    The world was on the verge of a cataclysmic battle between good and evil, between Protestant Christianity and Catholicism. They believed that God intended them to carry the…
  • Royal Charter — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    America's Mid-Atlantic coast. The Virginia Company had sponsored Jamestown, but its Royal Charter gave it rights over a much larger expanse of land, too. After weighing their…
  • Cod fishing — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Capital upfront. Then over time the separatists would repay the investment by generating income through cod fishing and the fur trade. For the next 7 years, the settlers would…
  • Fur trade — Concept · 1 mention · first at
    Separatists would repay the investment by generating income through cod fishing and the fur trade. For the next 7 years, the settlers would work 4 days a week for the company and two for themselves, then divide their profits and property.
  • Church leaders gathering (1604 Hampton Court Conference) — Concept · 1 mention
  • Thirty Years' War — Concept · 1 mention

Places & events

  • Leiden — Place · 11 mentions · first at
  • Southampton — Place · 6 mentions · first at
  • Scrubby (Scrooby) — Place · 6 mentions
  • Northern England — Place · 3 mentions · first at
    In 1590, William Bradford was born in the tiny farming village of Ostfield in Northern England. He came from a family of relatively prosperous farmers, but his childhood was…
  • New World — Place · 3 mentions · first at
    They began to consider the possibility of voyaging across the Atlantic in hopes of finding refuge in the New World. This was a bold proposition. In the early 17th century, what…
  • Osterfield (Austerfield) — Place · 3 mentions
  • North Sea — Place · 2 mentions · first at
    Port town of Boston, England. There they bribed a captain who told them he would take them out to the North Sea and across the English Channel. But when they arrived at the…
  • Dartmouth — Place · 2 mentions · first at
    Well would need to be repaired for the journey, both ships sailed for Dartmouth, a port just 75 mi west of Southampton, the repairs were quickly completed. But then a new…
  • Delshaven (Delfshaven) — Place · 2 mentions
  • Boston, England — Place · 1 mention · first at
    The group slipped away from Scrubby in secret, traveling 60 mi southeast to the port town of Boston, England. There they bribed a captain who told them he would take them out…
  • St. Lawrence River — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Governed by diverse Indian nations. The French had settlements and trading posts along the St. Lawrence River, and the Spanish had a foothold in the Southwest.
  • Jamestown, Virginia — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Viable English colony in America had failed. The only existing settlement was in Jamestown, Virginia, founded in6007 by English soldiers and adventurers seeking gold. In the…
  • Hudson River — Place · 1 mention · first at
    The separatists set their sights on the northernmost part of this territory at the mouth of the Hudson River near present-day New York. But they still needed to organize…
  • Plymouth, England — Place · 1 mention · first at
    Another leak. Once again, they were forced to turn around, sailing into the southwestern port of Plymouth, England.
  • Emden — Place · 1 mention
  • Grimsby — Place · 1 mention
  • Southwest (of North America) — Place · 1 mention
  • Stink Alley (Leiden) — Place · 1 mention

Full transcript with timestamps

Wonder. Imagine it's October 1620. It's late at night and you're on board the Mayflower somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. You're the captain of the ship and you and your crew are trying to navigate your way through a violent storm. Rain lashes your face as you cling to a rope ladder, bracing yourself as another gigantic wave batters the hole. Bring the light closer. One of your sailors, a green horn named Thomas, holds a swinging lantern above you. You lean down to inspect the main timber beam that runs from one side of the hole to the other. You catch a breath as you discover a large crack running down the center. Oh, God, help us. We can't go on like this.

You and Thomas climb back down the rope ladder as half a dozen members of your crew gather around you. Thomas plants his boots wide on the lurching deck. Raindrops running off the brim of his hat. What do you mean, Captain? We can't go on. She won't hold. I won't risk our lives any longer. These autumn westerlys are making this voyage impossible. It's time to turn back. Crew members stir uneasily. Thomas steps closer, his eyes burning with anger and confusion. We can't turn back. We've gone too far for that, Captain. No, we we must keep pushing west. Look around you. It's been one disaster after another ever since we set sail. Delays, sickness, and now these endless gales. Never should have agreed to sail so late in the year. But we can't turn around. The passengers will have our hides if we don't get them to America. That's if any of them are left. No, but don't you understand? If we don't do the job we were hired for

and see this voyage through, we won't see a penny. The ship groans under the force of another wave and water sloshes across the deck. Every instinct is telling you to turn back, but in the lantern light, you see the desperation in the faces of your crew. Oh, God bless. Very well. We'll see if the beam can be mended. Someone fetch the screw jack from the hold and we'll try to clamp it back together somehow. Quickly. Thomas rushes off with the other sailors, leaving you staring at the crack in the beam. Against your better judgment, you've bent to your crew's will. But deep in your gut, you know the truth. This storm is only the beginning of your troubles

from Wondery. I'm Lindsey Graham and this is American History Tellers. Our history, your story. On our show, we'll take you to the events, the times, and the people that shaped America and Americans, our values, our struggles, and our dreams. We'll put you in the shoes of everyday people as history was being made. and we'll show you how the events of the times affected them, their families, and affects you now. In the fall of 1620, an aging merchant ship called the Mayflower battled fierce storms as they carried 102 passengers on a faithful voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. The men, women, and children known as pilgrims risked their lives, traveling thousands of miles to build a spiritual community where they would be free to worship without fear of persecution. Following a treacherous transatlantic voyage, they founded Plymouth Colony on the rocky shores of New England. And in the harrowing months that followed, the

pilgrims sought to build a strong and unified settlement, survived the harshest winter they had ever known, and make peace with the native people who had inhabited the region for thousands of years. These events would echo down the centuries as America's founding myth, a sacred cornerstone of a national identity built around freedom, grit, and the pursuit of the American dream. But the pilgrim's story was not only one of courage and collaboration, but a complex saga marked by intrigue, conflict, and brutal violence.

This is episode 1 in our four-part series, The Mayflower: Saints and Strangers. In 1590, William Bradford was born in the tiny farming village of Ostfield in Northern England. He came from a family of relatively prosperous farmers, but his childhood was marred by the loss of nearly all of his loved ones. By the time he turned 12, his mother, father, sister, and grandfather had all died, forcing him to move in with a pair of uncles, who had struggled with one failed harvest after another. These uncles hoped that Bradford would help them with their farmwork. But he was soon struck by a debilitating illness that kept him bedridden for months.

Lonely and faced with the reality of a harsh and uncertain world, Bradford turned to the Bible for solace. By the time he was well again, he had become a passionate believer. But he felt his local church in Ostrafield had strayed from the purity and simplicity of the teachings of the Bible. Disenchanted, the 12-year-old Bradford soon found his way into a regular prayer meeting held 3 mi down the road in the village of Scrubby. There a group met every Sunday to worship in secret under a charismatic Puritan minister named John Robinson.

Robinson was part of a sect of devout Christians who had grown unhappy with the Protestant Church of England. Despite reforms, they believed the church was still too Catholic because of its continuing emphasis on rituals and hierarchy. Robinson and other Christians like him became known as Puritans because of their desire to purify the church of what they saw as corruption and excess. Looking for a more direct and intimate connection to God. They wanted to take Christianity back to its roots. They emphasized faithfulness to scripture, rejecting any religious practices not found in the Bible. And Puritans also believed in predestination, the idea that from birth, God chose certain people, the elect, for salvation. They referred to themselves as saints. All others were sinners destined for damnation. And soon after joining the meetings led by Robinson, Bradford decided that he had found his new spiritual home. He was

impressed by the Puritans lack of ritual and formality compared to the mainline church he attended at Oststerfield. Struggling with loneliness, he was drawn also to the strong sense of fellowship he found in Robinson's congregation. And more than anything, the prospect of a direct personal connection to God was a powerful idea to someone who had lost nearly everyone he had ever loved. The meetings also gave Bradford a mentor and father figure in the postmaster who owned the house where the congregation met, William Brewster, who was 25 years Bradford senior. Before becoming postmaster, Brewster had attended Cambridge University and served as an assistant to the English Secretary of State. He took Bradford under his wing, lending him books, tutoring him in Latin and offering him a sense of security and belonging that Bradford had been searching for ever since the death of his parents. And like many in the

congregation, Bradford also grew to love and respect Reverend John Robinson for his wisdom, sensitivity, and good judgment. He fostered a spirit of unity, and resolve that would sustain them in the years ahead. Bradford later wrote, "Such was the mutual love and reciprocal respect that this worthy man had to his flock, and his flock to him, that it might be said that it was hard to judge whether he delighted more in having such a people or they in having such a pastor. But as Bradford would discover, the Puritans were not a uniform group.

Most Puritans believed in reforming the Church of England from within. The Scrubby congregation was part of a radical fringe who believed that the church was so corrupt that the only way forward was to break away from it entirely. They were known as separatists. And Bradford's embrace of separatism came at a dangerous time. After King James I took the throne in6003, he began a sweeping crackdown on separatists, ending a period of relative religious tolerance. Because the king was the head of the Church of England, defying the church meant defying the monarch and viewing the separatists not only as spiritual dissenters but as threats to his authority, King James launched a campaign of harassment and persecution. At a6004 gathering of church leaders, he shouted, "I shall make them conform, or I will harry them out of this land or do worse." In the years that followed, separatists risked heavy fines, jail time, or even death

for holding religious gatherings. And in late607, the bishop of York became aware of the separatist meetings in Scrubby. Some members of the congregation were thrown in prison. Others discovered that their houses were being watched. William Brewster lost his job as postmaster and was summoned to appear in court for being disobedient in matters of religion. He was fined 20 or nearly $8,000 in today's money. It quickly became clear that the only way for the Scrubby separatists to worship as they saw fit would be to leave England entirely. Robinson and Brewster decided to lead the congregation to Holland, then known for its religious tolerance.

But under long-standing English law, there was no way to legally leave the country without an official license, and government authorities refused to grant the necessary permissions to religious denters. So to flee persecution, the separatists would have to escape in secret. The move was a daunting prospect for Bradford and the fellow members of the congregation, most of whom had never left northern England. But they felt that it was the only way to preserve their religious community. Bradford, who was now 17, saw the relocation as not just a physical move, but as one step in a lifelong spiritual journey. So despite the risks, in the fall of 16007, the group slipped away from Scrubby in secret, traveling 60 mi southeast to the port town of Boston, England. There they bribed a captain who told them he would take them out to the North Sea and across the English Channel. But when they arrived at the appointed time,

they found a ship waiting for them. But the captain was nowhere to be found. Anxiety gripped the separatists, wondering if they had been discovered, until the captain finally arrived late that evening and quickly loaded the passengers onto the ship. After years of living in fear, the separatists sensed that freedom was almost in their grasp. Imagine it's a cold November night in6007. You're a Puritan separatist minister and you and the men, women, and children of your congregation are huddled on board a small vessel drifting down the muddy waters of Scotia Creek in Lincolnshire, England. You've hired a sailor to take you out to the North Sea and across the English Channel to Amsterdam, where you can finally be free to worship as you wish. You step closer to the captain at the helm, a gruff, broad-shouldered man with a short black beard. Well, I thank you, Captain, on behalf of all of us. Were not for you,

we might be rotting away in a jail cell by now. You've shown us great kindness, and may God bless you for it. The captain avoids your gaze, making you wonder if he even heard you. His jaw tightens. Without a word, he pulls on a length of rope. Chains spill into the water, and the boat shuddters faintly under your feet. Are you dropping anchor? I reverend, but why? We've only just left port. We must go quickly. We must gain as much distance from England as we can. Again, the captain refuses to meet your gaze. A frown creases his weathered face as he stares out into the night, scanning the water for something.

The tide's turning. Better to wait it out. I I I don't understand. I I'm no seaman, but the tide is clearly with us now. Why wait? It's then that you hear the sound of ore splashing in unison, and a pit forms in your stomach. Dogs then bark, and lanterns light up the evening darkness. What is this? What's happening? The captain ignores you, leaning over the gun. to hail the rowboat. Truth strikes you like a blow and you stagger back. You've betrayed us. What about the money we've paid you? That was supposed to guarantee our safety. We were counting on your discretion. The captain finally glances your way and then shrugs. But what can I tell you? The king's men paid more.

You turn around to face your flock. These people trusted you with their lives, and now your chance at freedom has slipped away. All you're left with is the shame of having led them into this trap. Only moments after the separatists finally set sail for Holland did they realized that the captain they had hired had double crossed them. He surrendered them to local customs officers who quickly boarded the ship and bundled them into boats back to Boston. William Bradford later described how along the way the officers rifled and ransacked them, searching their shirts for money and searching the women further than became modesty. After stripping the separatists of their possessions, these officers marched them through town and handed them over to the king's magistrates, who packed them into jail cells. After spending a month in prison, most of the congregation was released on bail. By then, winter weather made a

second attempt at escape impossible. So it was not until the spring of6008 that the separatists were ready to try again. This time the group hired a Dutch captain to take them to Holland. They prepared to sail from the port of Grimby, 60 mi up the coast from where they made their first escape attempt. They set off on a cold and cloudy evening that May, but the plan again quickly unraveled when the local militia arrived in the middle of the boarding process. Fearing capture, the captain set sail with only part of the group on board. All the women and children were left standing on the shore and were quickly arrested and carted off to jail.

In the end, the authorities quietly released them, fearing potential public backlash against the imprisonment of women and children. And several months later, they made another crossing, finally reuniting with the rest of the congregation in Amsterdam. At long last, the separatists had fled England and the watchful eyes of royal authorities. But John Robinson and William Brewster confronted a new problem. They worried the congregation would splinter in the large Dutch city. Amsterdam was home to several English separatist congregations with various ministers supporting different interpretations of scripture. Robinson and Brewster feared that if their own group became involved in these conflicts, they would be in danger of coming apart. So in the spring of6009, they decided to lead their congregation to the university town of Leiden, 20 mi to the south. Once again, they would uproot themselves in the hope

that they might finally find the freedom to worship on their own terms. They would soon face new challenges that would test the limits of their unity, resilience, and faith.

In May609, the 100 men, women, and children who made up John Robinson's separatist congregation arrived in the thriving town of Leiden, the heart of the Dutch textile industry. Robinson purchased a large two-story house where he began holding twice weekly prayer meetings. Over time, the congregation built 21 small apartments in the large garden behind this home. Leiden's canals and densely packed streets were a far cry from the rolling hills of northern England. And the separatists quickly discovered that life in Leiden was hard.

As foreigners, they were forced to take lowpaying factory jobs that required them to work from dawn till dusk 6 days a week, often alongside their children. But the hardships deepened their shared sense of spiritual purpose. William Bradford would later reflect fondly on their early years in Leiden, writing that their community came closer to the primitive pattern of the first churches than any other separatist congregation, describing their true piety, humble zeal, and fervent love towards God and his ways. Bradford took up lodgings in a poor neighborhood called Stink Alley, and supported himself by working long hours as a weaver. When he turned 21 in 1611, he received an inheritance from his parents that he used to purchase a small house in Leiden and start his own weaving business. 2 years later, he married a fellow separatist, an English woman named Dorothy May. By then, he had become one of the leading members of

Robinson's congregation. But by 1617, the separatists began to sense that Leiden was not the promised land. Although they had enjoyed religious freedom, they struggled with the grueling manual labor of the textile industry. They also worried that time was running out on the safety and peace that Holland offered. A 12-year truce between the Netherlands and Spain was about to expire, raising the threat of war. Most troubling of all was the sense that the separatist children were losing their English identities and becoming more and more Dutch. Fearing for their community survival, the separatist leaders sought out a new home where they could protect their children, preserve their English heritage, and create a godly society free from persecution.

They began to consider the possibility of voyaging across the Atlantic in hopes of finding refuge in the New World. This was a bold proposition. In the early 17th century, what Europeans referred to as America or the New World was overwhelmingly native land inhabited and governed by diverse Indian nations. The French had settlements and trading posts along the St. Lawrence River, and the Spanish had a foothold in the Southwest. But nearly every attempt to establish a viable English colony in America had failed. The only existing settlement was in Jamestown, Virginia, founded in6007 by English soldiers and adventurers seeking gold. In the decades since, thousands of Jamestown colonists had perished from starvation, disease, and violence. The separatists had heard gruesome tales of Indian encounters, and they knew that Jamestown was still struggling to find its footing. And unlike the men who founded Jamestown,

the separatists were mostly farmers and artisans with no military experience or political backing. They also plan to bring their women and children along with them. But despite the dangers of life in America, the separatists firmly believed that God wanted them to go. In November 1618, Europe was on the brink of a massive religious conflict, pitting Protestants against Catholics, the beginning of what would become the 30 Years War. The separatists sensed that the world was on the verge of a cataclysmic battle between good and evil, between Protestant Christianity and Catholicism. They believed that God intended them to carry the English Protestant faith to America, establishing a godly community in a land populated by heathens and French and Spanish Catholics. They saw their colony as a patriotic exercise as well as a religious one. And while they knew that life in America would not be easy, they

trusted that their years in Leiden had prepared them for the challenges that lay ahead. So to obtain the legal right to create a new English settlement in America, the separatists secured a patent from the Virginia Company, the London Trading Company that had laid claim to a large swath of America's Mid-Atlantic coast. The Virginia Company had sponsored Jamestown, but its Royal Charter gave it rights over a much larger expanse of land, too. After weighing their options, the separatists set their sights on the northernmost part of this territory at the mouth of the Hudson River near present-day New York. But they still needed to organize funding. And to that end, they sent two of their men to London to solicit potential investors for support. But soon, these agents sent news that sparked feelings of fear and doubt.

Imagine it's June 1619 and you're at home in light in Holland. The candle on the table burns low, casting a warm glow over the small, tidy room where your 2-year-old son, John, sleeps. You've just finished tucking him into his cot. You smooth his hair and with a last look, you blow out the candle and exit the room. Softly closing the door behind you. You turn to find your husband stepping inside the front door. He sets his hat down on a hook, his shoulders sagging with weariness. You walk toward him, ushering him toward a seat at the kitchen table. Long day at the shop. You know I don't like you working after dark.

Your husband gestures for you to sit across from him, his eyes softening. I know, dear. And that's not what kept me late, though. But what was it? Has something happened? Our man in London has written. He sends word of another group of separatists who sailed to Virginia this past spring. 180 souls left Holland, but only 50 survived the voyage. Only 50? Dear God in heaven, how is that possible? Storms, sickness, hunger, the usual dangers of an ocean crossing. I suppose we have a hard road ahead. I won't deny it. Perhaps we should rethink this idea of sailing to the new world. We have a life here, William. This home, your shop, lest we risk it all. Your husband bows his head and takes your hands in his. I know you're frightened. I am, too. But this is the only way for us to have the freedom to live and worship as we wish.

Holland has given us refuge, but we are strangers here. In America, we can live as English men and women. We can recreate the life we left behind all those years ago. But there are so many difficulties. Even if we obtain the money, even if we find a ship, who's to say we won't perish just like those others. We simply must trust that the Lord is with us. As you consider his words, your husband abruptly rises from his chair. But there's nothing to debate here, my dear. I've already sold the house. What? Without so much as a word to me? Do not fear. It was an act of faith. We must recall the words of scripture. They were strangers and pilgrims on the earth, but they desired a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

You draw a slow breath, trying to press your fears down where your husband might not see them. Then at last, you nod and offer a faint smile, praying that your husband's resolve will be strong enough to overcome your doubts. In the spring of 1619, the Leiden separatists learned the fate of another group of English colonists who had set sail for America. Earlier that year, 130 out of 180 men, women, and children had died in a disastrous voyage from Emden Holland to Virginia. This news led some to wonder whether the risk was worth the reward, but William Bradford felt confident enough in the undertaking that he sold his house in Leiden. This sale proved premature. Over the next few months, he and his fellow separatists continued to struggle to find investors for their voyage. In 1620, their agents in London were beginning to lose hope of ever securing funds when a smoothtalking London-based merchant named Thomas

Weston offered to organize financing for them. Weston had no religious ties to the separatists, but he represented a group of 70 merchants looking for opportunities to invest in the Americas. They called themselves the merchant adventurers and soon Weston and the separatists negotiated a deal. The merchant adventurers would provide capital upfront. Then over time the separatists would repay the investment by generating income through cod fishing and the fur trade. For the next 7 years, the settlers would work 4 days a week for the company and two for themselves, then divide their profits and property.

To the separatists, Weston seemed like a godsend, and soon plans moved forward for the voyage to America. But as the date of their departure approached in the spring of 1620, several members of the congregation backed out, choosing to follow at a later date. Only 125 people, onethird of their total number, would make the initial voyage to America. Their pastor, John Robinson, would remain in Holland with the remainder. So it would be up to William Brewster to head the congregation in America. But then more problems emerged that spring as Thomas Weston began to show his true colors. First, Weston abruptly changed the terms of their contract, requiring the settlers to labor full-time for the company 7 days a week. Their agent in London accepted these terms without consulting the congregation. Then in June, the group learned that Weston still had not secured transport for the voyage to England or the voyage across

the Atlantic. In a lastminute scramble, they decided to arrange their own transport out of Holland, purchasing a small battered vessel called the Speed Well. They planned to bring it with them to America to use in shorter journeys once they had settled. But they hoped by the time they had arrived in England, Weston would have secured an additional ship and they would have two vessels for the transatlantic voyage. But there was also a third problem. At the last minute, Weston informed the group that the merchant adventurers had insisted on adding non-separatists from London to the mix. The tight-knit separatists feared that these newcomers, whom they referred to as the strangers, would threaten the unity they had developed in their years in Holland. But with time slipping away and no further word from Weston, the group pushed ahead with their plans, despite growing fear that their expedition was being hijacked. On

July 22nd, 1620, they gathered at the docks in the Dutch port of Delhaban, where the speed well was waiting to take them to Southampton, England. Once back on English soil, they would rendevous with the strangers before setting sail for America. At Delhan, they bid farewell to the family and friends who were staying behind. William and Dorothy Bradford had made the heart-wrenching decision to leave their three-year-old son, John, in the care of Dorothy's parents in Amsterdam. They hoped that in time he would join them in America along with other members of the Leiden congregation. It was the safest choice for their son, but it made the voyage ahead all the more painful. When it was time to depart, Robinson fell to his knees on the deck of the speed well.

With tears spilling down his cheeks, he offered the group his prayers. After 12 years in Leiden, the separatists were once again starting over in a strange new land. With their religious convictions to give them comfort, the men, women, and children who would forever be known as the pilgrims began their fateful journey.

In late July 1620, following a short, uneventful voyage across the English Channel, the Separatists arrived in Southampton, a centuries old port on England's southern coast. They found an old square rigged merchant vessel called the Mayflower waiting for them at the docks. Much to their relief, Thomas Weston had successfully secured a second ship for the journey to the America. At 100 ft long and 25 ft wide, it was three times the size of the Speedway and helmed by Captain Christopher Jones. When they met him, the Separatists learned that the 50-year-old Captain Jones was a seasoned mariner who had spent the last decade sailing back and forth across the English Channel, but had never crossed the Atlantic. The separatists also had their first encounter with a dozens of so-called strangers who would join them on the voyage. Some were less radical Puritans, while others joined in the hopes of

finding economic opportunities in America. The Leiden group saw themselves as spiritually superior to these newcomers, and they clung to their own vessel, the Speed Well, reluctant to share quarters with the men, women, and children who did not share their faith. The separatists also learned that Weston's investors had insisted on sending their own man to act as the Mayflower's governor. This doineering Puritan merchant named Christopher Martin was tasked with purchasing supplies and provisions. He and the separatists furiously argued over costs and logistics. In a letter to a friend in London, one of the separatists complained, "Martin insults our poor people with such scorn and contempt as if they were not good enough to wipe his shoes." And then finally, members of the Leiden group had their first encounter with Thomas Weston himself. Almost immediately, the tensions that had been building up for months rose to

the surface. Imagine it's August 1620 in Southampton, England. You're one of the leaders of a group of separatists planning a voyage to America, and you're walking along the crowded docks with your broker, Thomas Weston. The air is thick with a scent of tar, salt, and rotting fish as the two of you weave your way through stacked crates and barrels waiting to be loaded onto ships. You turn to Weston, feeling the weight of your people's expectations bearing down on you. We had an agreement, Mr. Weston. We'd work 4 days for the merchant adventurers, 2 days for ourselves, and reserve the Sabbath for worship. Now you expect us to work seven days a week for the company without rest or relief? Weston waves a hand as if he's brushing away an insect. Do I need to remind you that your representative in London signed the new papers? What's done is done. But he did so without consulting the rest of us. And I still

don't understand how you could just change the contract so hastily. Well, the circumstances have changed. Some of the investors are wavering, threatening to withdraw their support. They won't come forward with the necessary funds unless you agree to these terms. Assurely, you must see how unfair this is. Weston stops and turns toward you, his mouth twisting. You should be thanking me for finding a way to keep the investors interested. Without me, there'd be no venture at all. You'd have no ship to carry you, much less any stores to fill your cargo hole. I saved this enterprise. Uh, but with new terms that amount to little more than slavery.

It's not slavery, it's business. Whatever it is, we won't do it. I cannot ask these men to sacrifice their souls for the whims of fickle merchants. We won't honor this new contract. Well, fine. Good luck securing provisions now, then. And once winter comes, you'll find out if fate is enough to fill your bellies. Weston disappears into the press of workers and sailors crowding the docks, and your chest tightens with fear. You desperately need his money, but you also know that making a deal with a scoundrel like Weston is no way to start your journey to the promised land.

In Southampton, the separatists announced they would not honor Thomas Weston's new agreement, requiring them to work seven days a week. Weston threw up his hands and furiously insisted that they stand on their own legs. The separatists were left in a precarious position. While preparing for their departure from Southampton, the passengers of the Mayflower and the Speed Well were living off their own dwindling food stores. They had originally planned to leave for America in July, but they had been delayed in Southampton for several weeks. And as supplies ran short, they knew they needed to set sail as soon as possible.

If they were going to build a settlement before winter began, they would need to depart no later than mid August. With time running out, on August 5th, 1620, the Mayflower and the Speed Well set off from Southampton and began sailing west along England's southern coast. But soon the Speed Well sprang a leak and began filling with water. Knowing the speed well would need to be repaired for the journey, both ships sailed for Dartmouth, a port just 75 mi west of Southampton, the repairs were quickly completed. But then a new difficulty arose. The wind refused to cooperate, leaving the passengers stuck in Dartmouth in mid August. One man predicted, "Our food will be halfeaten up before we go from the coast of England." Several panicked passengers decided to abandon the voyage, but the Mayflower's doineering governor, Christopher Martin, refused to let them go. Then at last, on August 21st, the

wind shifted and the ships finally departed Dartmouth. They sailed roughly 300 m from the southwestern tip of England when the Speed Well sprang yet another leak. Once again, they were forced to turn around, sailing into the southwestern port of Plymouth, England. This time, they felt they had no choice but to abandon the Speedwell. It was a crushing blow. Not only had the separatists spent a considerable sum on the ship, but they also believed it would be crucial to the colony's long-term prospects because they planned to use it for fishing and trading expeditions after they arrived. But if they were going to continue their journey, the Mayflower would have to sail on alone, carrying both the strangers and the saints. They crammed as many passengers on board as they could, but many separatists were forced to stay behind. In the end, just 102 passengers remained on the overcrowded ship. Only half of that number were

members of the Leiden congregation. They were already two months behind schedule. Provisions were running perilously low and autumn storms were already churning in the North Atlantic. The window for an ocean crossing was fast coming to a close. If they survived the dangerous journey ahead, they would arrive just before winter. But despite the risks, on September 6th, 1620, the overcrowded and undersupplied Mayflower weighed anchor off Plymouth, embarking on a historic voyage into the unknown. From Wondery, this is episode 1 of our four-part series, The Mayflower, from American History Tellers. In the next episode, the passengers on board the Mayflower endure a treacherous voyage, battling fierce gales and rampant sickness. When storms blow the ship off course, tensions escalate between the separatists and the strangers. And as winter sets in, scouting parties venture ashore for their first look at

the new world. American History Tellers is hosted, edited, and produced by me, Lindsey Graham, for airship. Audio editing by Muhammad Shazi. Sound design by Molly Bach. Music by Thrum. This episode is written by Ellie Stanton, edited by Dorian Marina, senior producer Andy Becker. Executive producers are Jenny Low Beckman and Marshall Louie for Wondering.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "The Mayflower | Saints and Strangers | American History Tellers"?

Lindsey Graham (Host), Thomas (sailor, dramatized character) (Guest), Captain (Mayflower captain, dramatized voice) (Guest).

What is "The Mayflower | Saints and Strangers | American History Tellers" about?

In October 1620, the crew of the Mayflower faces a treacherous storm while navigating the Atlantic, grappling with the captain's desperate decision to either turn back to safety or push forward toward America despite the ship's deteriorating condition and the mounting pressures from the passengers. As tensions rise among the crew, they confront the dire consequences of their commitment to…

What is mentioned in this American History Tellers episode?

64 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Separatists, Speedwell (spelled 'Speed Well'/'Speedway'), Leiden, Mayflower, Thomas Weston, Southampton. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "The Mayflower | Saints and Strangers | American History Tellers"?

The episode runs 34 min; the transcript is about 5,860 words in 45 timestamped sections.

More from American History Tellers

About this transcript: the episode's spoken words as captioned on YouTube, split into timestamped sections. Reclip.Me locates every person, work and idea in the text, keeps the time it is first named, and quotes the words around it verbatim. Last updated December 19, 2025.