If I was falling for US indoctrination I would say that the Pilgrims came here to escape religious persecution and that the spirit of freedom was instilled in this great nation since its inception.
Instead I'm saying that a bunch of religious zealots got sick of being poor in Holland and sucked up to the English Crown in order to hitch a ride to some stolen land.
Not sure what you want me to say. The ship that initially carried the zealots I was specifically referring to was called the Mayflower.