Who were the Pilgrims, and how was it that they settled in the Netherlands, only to sail on the Mayflower for the lower Hudson River? And having done that, what was it like on board, and how was it they ended up in New England?

All will be revealed, including the story of John Howland, who narrowly escaped death on the crossing and who is today ancestor to more than two million Americans, roughly 0.6% of all of us.

Errata: I obviously misspoke when I said the Mayflower II sailed in the 1590s. It was the 1950s, doh!

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Selected references for this episode

Nathaniel Philbrick, Mayflower: Voyage, Community, War

William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation

John G. Turner, They Knew They Were Pilgrims: Plymouth Colony and the Contest for American Liberty