As the Mayflower first caught sight of land off the coast of Massachusetts,
that first group of pilgrims could not have imagined what would become of this land.
Whilst they were only seeking a place where they could experience freedom of worship,
as with many things in life, the reality became much bigger than the original idea.
Landing here in Plymouth Rock and settling nearby,
the pilgrims struggled through the first winter, losing over 40 of their friends.
But due to the generosity of some of the local Native Americans the rest made it through.
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As the years passed and more people made the journey over,
settlements were founded and the East Coast became more and more populated
until eventually there were thirteen colonies.
During the rise of what had become the United States of America,
these thirteen colonies were under the rule of the British crown.
But tension would build over the years
until eventually war broke out between the colonies and the Crown.
The British were defeated and the colonies would go on to sign the Declaration of Independence
here in the Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1776, July the fourth.
Four days later on July the eighth the bells would ring out in Philadelphia
as the Declaration was read out.
One of the bells that was rung is believed to have been Liberty Bell,
which thereafter would go on to become a symbol of freedom.
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Over the years America would become a haven for those seeking refuge from religious persecution.
Although Western Europe had gone through a Reformation,
in many cases the movement of reform had stagnated.
And whilst the new religion would have some different beliefs,
often they administered control and discipline like the Mother Church
and did not take kindly to dissenters and nonconformists.
Some coming over were seeking new opportunities
and this new land with an undiscovered interior would prove fertile terrain.
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The new pilgrims recognized the tyranny that had been imposed in Europe with state-run churches
and were familiar with the corruption
where church officials and priests were sometimes little more than civil servants.
Thus as the founding fathers set out the Constitution and the Bill of Rights
that would form the basis of the United States of America,
they were very careful that the two institutions of church and state should remain separate.
It would read, "Congress shall make no law
respecting the establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."
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The church would not be beholden to the state
and the state could not act in a special interest of any particular church
but rather treat all people equally in the sight of the law.
It was Benjamin Franklin who said, "When religion is good I conceive it will support itself."
And so in America they sought to have a religion that did not rely on the support of the state,
and so this encouraged more than one church to form.
There was not and there is not a national church of America, an official denomination or religion,
but rather America was founded on the principle of the separation of church and state.
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This more than anything else is what helped make America great
and has been the cause of its prosperous past and present.
Freedom of religion lies at the foundation of all other freedoms
and once this goes, the others will crumble in quick succession.
America would be a fertile ground for many churches to flourish
and over the upcoming weeks and months we will see some of the movements
that took root here and grew in this land of liberty.
Stay with us over the upcoming episodes
as we continue this journey and as we explore our lineage.