A separatist congregation is formed in Scrooby, England where William Bradford is in the congregation. The Separatists want to break away from the Church of England and flee for Holland (the Netherlands), relocating from Amsterdam to Leiden. Click here for a 27-minute film by Jeffrey Meyer posted on February 25, 2024 that describes the voyage of the Pilgrims.

William Brewster starts a printing press there. The King of England is displeased with Separatists printing materials in Holland, and arrests are made. It is time to look for a new home in America. Thomas Weston of the Merchant Adventurers convinces the Separatists to go with his company where he has a patent for the mouth of the Hudson River. The Pilgrims acquire the Speedwell in Delfshaven, Holland, and the Mayflower is acquired in England. The two ships then meet in Southampton, England.

The ships sail through the English Channel, but must return to Dartmouth, England after the Speedwell is leaky. Again the ships set off and again they return to Plymouth. The Speedwell does not come on the voyage, and the Mayflower sets off alone reaching Cape Cod, over 200 miles from their intended landing spot at the Hudson River.

They attempt to sail for the Hudson, but dangerous shoals force the ship back, and the Mayflower turns north, cycling around Cape Cod. The passengers write the Mayflower Compact and sign it on November 11, 1620 near modern Provincetown, Massachusetts.