John Turner on the History of the Plymouth Pilgrims

Published November 21, 2022 at 4:05 PM MST

400 + years ago this month, a group of separatists from the Church of England landed in the New World looking for religious freedoms. But what did freedom really mean to this small band?

Many of us grew up hearing an idealistic tale of the Mayflower and its cargo of “spiritual pilgrims” that in recent years, scholars have largely overturned with a darker, more violent story. In his new book They Knew They Were Pilgrims, historian John Turner offers a more nuanced look at the Plymouth Colony and the Native people who were there when the English arrived. We’ll talk with Turner about his research and the history of the Plymouth Pilgrims this Friday at 11 a.m.

GUEST:

John G. Turner’s book is They Knew They Were Pilgrims: Plymouth Colony and the Contest for American Liberty. [Bookshop|Amazon | Audible]

Airdate: Friday, Nov. 27, 2020 at 12 p.m. and Sat, Nov. 18, 2020 at 11 a.m.

Rebroadcast on Friday, Nov. 25 2022 @ 11 a.m. and 7 p.m.