The Mayflower Sets Sail

Dan Snow's History Hit

On the 16th of September 1620, The Mayflower set sail from Southampton to the New World. Aboard were 102 passengers determined to reach a new land, escape the religious persecution they faced and establish a colony. They endured a long and arduous crossing and a brutal first winter which they only survived due to the help of the native Wampanoag people. It was from this first, successful, colony that the United States of America would eventually grow, but it came at a terrible price for the indigenous people of North America.

In this archive episode, originally in 2020 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower setting sail, Dan is joined on the podcast by a series of historians, writers and storytellers, to talk about the journey of the Mayflower. They discuss why the settlers left, and we examine the contested legacy of the Mayflower for the descendants of North American communities.

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