Lead: When the Pilgrims arrived on the shores of Massachusetts in December 1620, they had completed a long journey in pursuit of religious freedom and maintaining their Englishness.
Intro.: A Moment in Time with Dan Roberts.
Content: Hopes were high when the new King James I arrived in London in 1604. Grumpy old Queen Elizabeth had died and made way for her Scottish cousin. A new broom sweeps clean and many in the Kingdom were anxious for change. Members of Parliament hoped the King would allow a more open debate over national issues. Catholics hoped that the new King would give them relief from laws that circumscribed their worship. A minority of the Church of England known as puritans hoped the King would help them purify the church of all vestiges of Catholicism and reform the church structure. James dashed those hopes. He never quite understood the people he had come to lead. For their own reasons Catholics, puritans, members of Parliament and other critics of the government as the years passed became more and more disenchanted with life in England.
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