System that relied on individual responsibility. In england, in the early 1600s, there was a tiny band of people who called themselves separatists. They wished only to worship in their own way. [ knocking ] open in the name of the king. Open up ye heretics. Open up. Silence. When we remember silence i say. We sat down and we want master brewster be warned that the king of england knows of your sins. And we of his, i warrant. Enough. You shall disburse to your homes. You shall meet no more secretly or in public to worship in this heretical way. So youll get to your so called priest wearing heretic guard, you object to kneeling during the holy sacrament, you object and object. Captain, you well know we desire above all to have the word of god freely preached. That you shall not have master brewster, mark me well, the king of england is a supreme authority, in matters of religion as well as matters of state. You shall conform to the kings religion. If you do not, he shall harry you out of the land. But whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. William . Are you ready, master brewster . I am ready. Make haste, the kings guard will soon be on their round. Well leave this burning as though we were still here. As though we did not have to leave our homes to live as strangers in a strange land. To live free in a free land. But how . As we lived here, strange people, artisans, farmers. As the lord wills, so shall we live. Come. It is time. And so began our pilgrimage in the darkness of night, like thieves, some 200 others took leave of our homeland and pursued freedom elsewhere. Making our way to the only friendly land we knew, the low country behind the dikes, holland. The dutch were a goodly people, and kind to us. Yet we were strangers among them, and our life was not easy. For 12 years, we sat all willingly, in the end, it was the suffering of our dear children that so moved our hearts, so pressed were they by the poor conditions laid upon them, and more than this, we had fear they were becoming as strangers unto us, their loving parents. What we might do, we did not know. But do something, we must. For how shall we sing the lords song in a strange land . Its quite possible, master brewster, its quite possible the new world may well be the place for your people. And so two of our elders journeyed to london, they are to consult with a certain mr. Westin. You understand, gentleman, that our greatest king has our company to settle the virginia wilderness. We are merchants, our interest in the new world is to make a profit for our stockholders. Have your people any resources . We are very poor in worldly goods, master westin. Suppose we did this, suppose a group of merchants including myself subscribers say 6 or 7,000 pounds, form a joint Stock Company between merchants and colonies to settle here that each share in the company, 10 pounds value, the agreement. Mr. Westin, if you would, a little slower, please. Yes, of course. Well, simply put, it comes to this. We finance your pilgrimage, you work for us, and we take the profit of your labor to trade, fishing, farming, whatever you find to apply yourselves to for seven years. Seven years. Your terms are hard, master westin. Seven years, what are they, master brewster . Does not the bible tell us that jacob lived twice seven years for the hand of rachel . We would of course have to discuss this with our people. Naturally, and i with mine, mind you. I am not at all sure we can do this. Its a risk. We shall be risking a great deal of money. Very true, master westin. And we should be risking our lives, and the lives of our children. Master westins conditions were hard, but at length an agreement was reached, and our people left holland forever and embarked for South Hampton, england. There you are. Thank you. Brewster . I am the reverend brewster. Captain miles stanis. Master bradford, master carver. Im at your service, gentlemen, though i doubt what service i can be to you. We have our doubts as to that, too, captain standish. As well you may, preachers, carpentersings goi carpenters going to a desolate wilderness, wild beasts and wild savages. Do you know where youre leading yourselves . We know only where the lord is leading us, captain standish and that is sufficient. I know nothing of that. I know only tinkers and weavers know little of wilderness, danger or starvation or of fighting. Can any of you fire a musket. Can any of your kind fire a soul. Captain standish, you are a soldier, you, as you say are tinkers, weavers and preachers. You have been companion to wilderness and danger. We have not. We need your help. Im not of your faith. There will be many strangers with us on this pilgrimage. Strangers . There are only 35 of us, to make up a significant number, we have had to recruit others from london. Yes, but why strangers . We call all men strangers who are not of our religion. Your group has the patent from the Virginia Company . We have. And thus the authority to command . I am. May not these strangers, as you call them, stir up trouble in this regard . We must put our trust in god. Master brewster, ill go with you if youll so have me. August the 5th, departed South Hampton in company with the speed well, an ill looking vessel at best. Speedwell, leaking, put back to dell harbor for repairs. August the 17th. Set sail a second time. The speedwell is unsea worthy, put back to plymouth. September the 6th, ad 1620. The mayflower sails alone. They had no friends to welcome them, nor inns to entertain or refresh their weather beaten bodies. No houses or tongues to repair to to seek for sucker, as for the season, it was winter. And they that know the winters of the country know them to be sharp and violent. Besides, what could they see but a hideous and desolate wilderness full of wild beasts and wild men, and what multitudes there might be of them, they knew not. As for themselves, they numbered 102 souls, but only 35 true pilgrims. The rest, strangers to their faith. And as captain standish had foreseen, this was to threaten the very purpose of the pilgrimage. Enter. Master carver, these men have a grievance. Yes, what is it . Master carver, when we claim this voyage, we understood that your group had a patent from the Virginia Company to settle in virginia. So we have. Then command us now, master carver. What is your meaning . Our meaning is simply this, this ship was blown off course. At landlock, it is not virginia but new england. And . And so your patent is worthless, you have no power to command. We have the power to command this pilgrimage given us by god and ye be strangers. Command us, master carver. What say you captain standish . I say this. Our landfall is some 200 miles north of the limit of your patent. Of that there can be no doubt. As for the other matter, these men are strangers to your religion, as am i. But i would remind you of this, in the land from which you fled you yourselves were considered strangers. You were called heretics, disbelievers, and worse. Now we are lying off an unknown land, a wilderness, and unless we wish to leave our bones rotting on the shore before the winter is over, i say we better dwell together in unity. We whose names are under ridden, the loyal subjects of our southern lord king james the 1st, having undertaken a voyage to plant a colony in the new world do solemnly combine ourselves together into a civil bodied politic for our better ordering and preservation. And by virtue, to enact such just and equal laws as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the general good of the colony. Is this agreed by all present . I agree. I agree. What can i say of the painful labors of those first terrible months, to gain a foothold, however precarious in that treacherous land. To find a site for our colony. To fashion simple rude shelters and how to describe that cruel first winter when we were plunged into that wilderness all unknowing and ignorant, as savages, we saw fuel, and except for the first skirmish, in which our captain acquitted himself bravely, we suffered not from that source, but from another source, we suffered most grievously. [ coughing ] william, william, where are you . Here at your side, my dear. William, we should not have come. We should not have come. Hush, my dear. Hush. We should not have left england so many years ago. So many. It was the lords will. So many dead, nearly half. It is the lords punishment. We should never have left england. It is the fever. I fear so. And the others . Two more dead. And one dying. My own wife. Rose, your wife. Out of the depths, i cried oh, lord, lord hear my voice. Does he hear standish . Does he . Master stranger tried a true believer for lack of faith. Do we bury our dead tonight . Yes. Its a dark night, well not be seen. Come. And during that first terrible winter, we buried more than half our number, leveling the graves to conceal our losses from the indians, and in the spring, sowing them with grain, but the winter passed and spring came, and life embraced us back. And we few, we very few who were spared found help from an unexpected quarter, help from those very savages we had so feared. From masassoit and the ever faithful squanto. From then, we learned how to sow our crops, how to work long hours, where to fish for herring. We worked in common, men and women, pilgrim and stranger, white man and indians, and at last, the harvest time came. And with it, our thanksgiving. For when we left our homes and our dear dear friends in england, we embarked on an uncertain pilgrimage. We thought to find a hostile country and hardships and heartbreak, and these we found. We thought to find no friends here to aid us, but in this we were wrong. We did find friends here. We did not think to lose half our number, but they line this earth in this newfoundland. But stranger and true believer alike, they line now as planted seed, a precious seed from which will grow this colony well call new plymouth. For as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindle shall shine unto many. Ye and some sort to haa whole nation. When we remember thee oh zion as for our hearts when we remember thee oh zion