The Pilgrims

The challenges the Pilgrims faced in making new lives for themselves still resonate almost 400 years later: the tensions of faith and freedom in American society, the separation of Church and State, and cultural encounters resulting from immigration. "The Pilgrims" premieres November 24 at 8/7c on PBS American Experience.

In the early 17th century, a small group of religious radicals embarked from England to establish a separatist religious community in the New World. They struggled against disease, climate and the native people to establish a colony that would eventually trigger an influx of colonists throughout New England. "The Pilgrims" premieres November 24 at 8/7c on PBS American Experience.

A quote from William Bradford, the longtime governor of Plymouth Colony who wrote "Of Plymouth Plantation: 1620-1647."

During a storm in the north Atlantic, indentured servant John Howland was swept off the Mayflower's deck. Fortunately, he grabbed a line and was hauled back onboard. Howland thrived in the New World and nearly four centuries later, an estimated two million Americans can claim him as an ancestor. "The Pilgrims" premieres November 24 at 8/7c on PBS American Experience.

The first Thanksgiving wasn't the same holiday we celebrate today -- in fact, the Pilgrims didn't even call it "thanksgiving." "The Pilgrims" premieres Tuesday, November 24 at 8/7c on PBS American Experience.