Original subtitles

(wind blowing)

(dramatic music)

(inspirational music)

- [Narrator] Our journey begins at the Plimoth Plantation,

a re-creation of the first European settlement

before moving up to the coast

to the modern town of Plymouth,

where the Pilgrim Fathers' Ship, the Mayflower,

has been reconstructed.

On the way north towards the capital of Massachusetts,

Boston, we pass the town of Quincy

and home to one of the founding fathers

of the American Revolution

and also its second president, John Adams.

Much of the early history

of America's independence happened in Boston.

And we take a good look

at one of the country's finest historic cities,

including its modern side.

Following the coast north is Salem

and a town famous for its association

with witch hunts in the 17th century.

The journey ends in the seaside town and harbor

of Gloucester, a favorite haunt for visitors

during the summer months.

In 1620, a group of Christian pilgrims

seeking religious freedom was said to have landed here

on a large granite rock on the eastern seaboard

of North America.

They had sailed from England in the Mayflower,

and named their new settlement Plymouth,

after the port they had left from.

Now housed under a classical canopy,

the rock is an important symbol in American history.

A few kilometers down the coast is the Plimoth Plantation,

a re-creation of the original settlement

established in the years following the arrival

of the Pilgrims.

This living museum was established in the 1950s,

and because none of the original structures

and only a few artifacts survived,

the museum researched the period from records,

early accounts, paintings, and relics.

The date for the English village has been set at 1627.

And to help visitors understand

what life was like at the time, the guides, or interpreters,

have been coached to speak, act, and dress in the period.

They also chat in the first person

as though they live in the village

and can discuss all their day-to-day problems

with these strangers from the modern world.

Visitors can help the blacksmith in the forge,

the cook in the kitchen,

the gardener in the vegetable patch,

and the farmhand in the stable.

(gentle music)

And at certain times, key historical events,

such as Thanksgiving, are celebrated.

Even funerals take place to show how fragile life was

for these first Americans.

The Pilgrim Fathers arrived in America on the Mayflower,

and in Plymouth Harbor is a replica of the ship.

It was built in the 1950s in England

by shipbuilders using traditional methods and tools,

including English oak, hand-forged nails,

hand-sewn linen canvas sails, hemp ropes,

and Stockholm tar between the planking.

(flag ruffles)

All these were used in 17th century shipbuilding.

(dramatic music)

And carved into the stern is a sprig of hawthorne,

or English mayflower.

The paint scheme was taken from contemporary English

and Dutch ship paintings.

Except for a few modern details

such as electricity for lights and navigation,

the ship is about as faithful as it can be to the original.

She was launched in 1956 using a ceremony dating back

to the period where the ship was toasted

with a gold loving cup, which was then thrown into the sea,

only later to be retrieved by a diver,

as gold was probably even more valuable than it is today.

This second Mayflower sailed to Plymouth in 1957,

where it is open to visitors.

It was paid for by private donations in England

and the Plimoth Plantation here in Massachusetts.

The ship represented the alliance

between Britain and the United States

for the collaboration during World War II.

(dramatic music)

Overlooking the town of Plymouth

is the 25-meter-high National Monument to the Forefathers.

It was planned in the 1820s,

with the first stone laid in 1859

and finally finished in 1889.

The monument honors the ideals of the Mayflower Pilgrims

in the four figures around the base,

representing freedom, morality, law, and education.

And on top is a heroic figure of faith,

clutching the Bible and pointing up to heaven.

Heading north towards Boston and we pass cranberry fields,

where they have been flooded in order for the berries

to float and be collected after being harvested by machine.

The cranberry plant is a low-creeping shrub,

only about 15 centimeters high.

The berries turn a deep red color when ripe.

The berry is now considered a superfruit

due to its nutrients and antioxidant qualities.

And cranberry sauce is an indispensable part

of the traditional American Thanksgiving meal

of roast turkey.

(birds chirping)

(wind blowing)

With Boston in the distance,

the small town of Quincy lies a few miles to the south.

And in the middle is an unassuming wooden cottage

by a busy road junction.

(gentle music)

This is the house of the second president

of the United States, John Adams,

one of the most influential of the Founding Fathers,

who played a leading role in persuading Congress

to declare independence from Britain

and assisted in the writing

of the famous Declaration of Independence.

He was George Washington's vice president

before becoming president himself in 1797.

The Boston of today has grown so much and spread out so far

that Quincy is now a suburb of the city,

and it would be largely unrecognizable to John Adams

except for the historic center,

which is one of the oldest in America.

(gentle music)

Our flight over Boston begins by the harbor

in the South District, known locally as Southie.

It has long been known as a working class,

Irish American neighborhood,

and also home to Polish and Lithuanian communities.

In more recent times, the area has seen property values

join the highest in the city, especially near the waterfront

with south-facing views over the sea.

At the end of the peninsula is Fort Independence,

the oldest, continuously fortified site

of English origin in the United States.

(gentle music)

George Washington laid siege to the fortification

during the American Revolution,

and the English set fire to it when they were forced out.

It was rebuilt and named Fort Independence.

In 1851, it was modernized and updated

into what we see today.

It gradually fell into disuse, and in the 1960s,

the fort was handed over to the state of Massachusetts

and is now open to the public.

Since its discovery in 1614

by the English explorer John Smith,

Boston Harbor has been an important port

in American history.

In the early days, almost all imports to America

came through the harbor, and this importance

helped Boston grow to today's modern city.

The first skyscraper was built in 1913

for the new Customs House.

At the time, Bostonians were horrified.

It stands 151 meters high and rests on 3,000 wooden piles

driven into the bedrock.

When it was built, the harbor key was next to the tower,

but land reclamation has moved it inland.

Today, it is a smart hotel.

Faneuil Hall has been a market and a meetingplace since 1742

and many speeches were made here encouraging independence,

which is why it is also known as the Cradle of Liberty.

Standing in front of it is Quincy Market,

built in the 1820s.

As Boston expanded, extra space was needed for shops.

At the time, the building was on the waterfront,

and part of the old dock was filled in to provide new land.

The market was largely used for food stuffs

where grocers would put up their stores.

By the 1970s, Quincy Market had been turned

into a tourist attraction with shops and restaurants.

Many of Boston's historic buildings are now dwarfed

and hidden by sleek, modern skyscrapers.

This is the old State House, built in 1713,

and the oldest surviving public building in Boston.

It was the seat of government and the judiciary

for the commonwealth of Massachusetts until 1798,

when it moved to new buildings.

The old State House was rescued from demolition in the 1880s

and restored back to its former glory.

Today, it is a popular museum.

Also tucked away between modern buildings

are several old churches.

This is the Old South Meeting House, built in 1729.

It gained fame as the organizing point

for the Boston Tea Party.

5,000 people gathered here in 1773

to protest about Britain imposing taxes

without representation, which was a contributing factor

in the American Revolution a few years later.

Boston also boasts historic ships as well.

This is the USS Constitution,

named by President George Washington in 1797

and the oldest commissioned naval vessel

afloat in the world.

She was built in Boston and charged with defending

the new United States and protect its merchant shipping.

Her most famous action was in 1812

in the war against Britain when she captured several

of its merchant ships and defeated five of its war ships.

This victory earned her the nickname Old Ironsides.

She was eventually retired from active service in 1881

and became a museum ship in 1907.

In 1997, she sailed for the last time on her 200th birthday.

In the next dock is the USS Cassin Young,

a Fletcher-class destroyer built in 1943.

She was named after Captain Cassin Young

for his heroism at Pearl Harbor.

The ship saw much action in World War II

against the Japanese.

She continued in service until 1960

and eventually moved here as a floating museum.

Overlooking the harbor and city is Bunker Hill

and the site of one of the first battles

of the American War of Independence.

When the Colonial forces were besieging the city in 1775,

they learned that the British were planning to send troops

out of the city to capture two hills.

The colonists then put 1,200 men on Breed and Bunker Hills

and waited for the attack.

The British captured both Breed and Bunker,

but lost far more men than the colonists,

800 wounded, and 226 dead.

It was in this engagement that a colonist officer

gave the now famous order,

"Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes,"

so as to save ammunition.

The memorial on Bunker Hill was put up in 1843.

It was one of the first in a new United States.

From here, there is a good view

of the Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge.

This is the widest cable-stayed bridge in the world,

carrying 10 lanes of traffic, eight between the cables,

and two additional lanes on the side.

(soft music)

It crosses the Charles River and separates the city

from the suburb of Cambridge.

And on the north bank

is the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,

more commonly known as MIT.

This is one of the most prestigious universities

of its kind in the world.

In 1916, the university moved here

to new buildings thanks to the generosity

of George Eastman, founder of Kodak.

A few miles upriver is the oldest institution

of higher learning in the United States, Harvard.

It was founded in 1636 by the Massachusetts Bay Colony

and initially called New College.

Three years later, it was renamed Harvard

after John Harvard, a young English clergyman

who had bequeathed his library to the college

along with a substantial sum of money.

Over the years, this private university

has taught several presidents,

from John Adams to John F. Kennedy.

A statue of John Harvard is a popular place

to be photographed.

Sport is also important in the life of students

and the university has a successful American football team.

And with the Charles River close by,

rowing is another popular sport.

(soft music)

(water splashing)

Most mornings, eights, fours, and sculls

can be seen out on the river.

(gentle music)

This is Fenway Park,

home to the Boston Red Sox baseball club

and the oldest Major League stadium currently in use.

The Red Sox moved here in 1911.

Since 2003, every game has been sold out

in this 39,000-seat stadium.

One of the most famous players in the history of the sport,

Babe Ruth, started his baseball career here in 1914

before being sold to the New York Yankees.

In their history, the Red Sox have won

the World Series title seven times.

Close by Fenway Park is the Back Bay area

and Boston's two tallest skyscrapers.

The most impressive is the John Hancock Tower.

It is 241 meters high and completed in 1976.

However, its building was not without problems.

Oscillation caused some of the glass panes

to come out in high winds and crash down

onto the pavement below.

Areas were cordoned off when the wind exceeded

72 kilometers per hour.

All 10,000 panes of glass had to be replaced.

The building also swayed at the top,

which caused seasickness for many of the office workers.

This was eventually dealt with

by installing a mass damper to counteract the movement.

From the top, there is a good view

of the Back Bay area, which is famous

for its row of 19th century brownstone houses.

The whole site has been created from landfill.

In 1857, a railway was built in order to deliver gravel

to fill a tidal bay on the Charles River.

Today, it is one of Boston's most popular

and expensive areas to live.

(gentle music)

At the heart of the city lies Boston Common,

the oldest city park in the United States,

dating back to 1634.

For 200 years, it was used for public hangings.

The park has many memorials,

including one for the Civil War

and another for the Boston Massacre in 1770,

when British soldiers fired and killed

five civilian protesters.

Overlooking the Common is the new State House.

It was finished in 1798

and replaced the older one we saw earlier.

It houses the state legislature

and the offices of the governor of Massachusetts.

A large addition was added at the back

in the late 19th century

and the two wings at the front were built in 1917.

From the front of the building, on the edge of the park,

is a poignant Civil War memorial to Colonel Shaw

and the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment,

one of the first black Army units in America.

It was erected in the 1890s

to remember their bravery in a battle in South Carolina

where most of them died along with Colonel Shaw.

Our journey now heads north along the coast

leaving Boston's skyscrapers in the distance

to the pretty harbor town of Salem.

Its importance as a trading port

has been overshadowed forever

due to the town's association with witches,

because it was here in the late 17th century

that a series of trials took place

which saw the execution of 19 men and women

accused of sorcery, and even more people incarcerated

without trial for months.

(soft music)

It is one of the most famous cases of mass hysteria

and illustrates a cautionary tale

about the dangers of isolationism,

religious extremism, false accusations,

and lapses in the proper legal procedures.

Of course, today, much of the town's income

is built on the fascination of what went on here

over 300 years ago.

The original Salem Village has long since been buried

under centuries of new building,

so in 1930, it was decided to construct

a re-creation of the 1630 Salem for a play.

The idea was for the audience to mingle with the actors

who played the early families.

Nothing like this had been seen before.

It was such a success that the village was turned

into a permanent museum, and as a result,

became the first living history museum in America.

Once a year, actors re-enact the original witch trials.

A more modern drama based on the trials

is Arthur Miller's "The Crucible."

He used the hysteria around the events in Salem

as an allegory for the similar hysterical outburst

against communism during the 1960s.

The trials and all aspects of witchcraft

can be explored in the Salem Witch Museum.

Here, life-size figures set in stage sets with neuration

gives the visitor a chilling experience

of a witch trial in 1693.

This historic town has a number of fine old houses,

and the House of the Seven Gables is one of the best.

It was built in 1668 and it's quite possibly

the oldest surviving mansion house in North America.

It was radically altered in later years,

but restored back to its original form in 1910.

Built around the same time is the Jonathan Corwin House,

better known as the Witch House.

This is because Jonathan Corwin was one of the judges

who sentenced 19 people to the gallows,

all of whom protested their innocence of witchcraft.

He also performed a number of examinations

of accused witches.

(gentle music)

The house is the only one left in the town today

with a direct link back to this terrible

but also fascinating period of history.

(gentle music)

Further up the coast are a series

of attractive fishing villages

set amongst the creeks and mudflats.

One of them is Rockport, which came into existence

in the mid-18th century when a dock was built

for exporting timber, and later, in the next century,

granite from nearby quarries.

As East Coast cities expanded,

demand for Rockport granite grew and the town prospered.

In the 20th century, as the demand for stone decreased,

the town became a haven for artists,

who love the rocky shoreline and the pretty harbor.

However, if an artist wanted to drink,

they could not get one because, from the mid-19th century,

the town was one of 15 in the state that was declared dry.

Only recently is it possible to get a drink in restaurants.

Liquor stores are still illegal.

Perhaps artists sought the beauty of the harbor

instead of a drink, and on the end of a key

is a red fishing shack which has become known

as Motif Number 1 because it was a subject

of hundreds of paintings, and when it became world-known,

to then be photographed by the thousands of tourists

who visit Rockport each year.

(seagulls squawking)

Our final location is Gloucester,

one of the largest urban areas along the northeast shore.

It was made into a city in 1873.

Shipbuilding, and more importantly,

a growing fishing industry followed over the next century.

A memorial, Man at the Wheel,

commemorates the dangers of life at sea.

Its dedicataion is to they that go down

to the sea in ships.

Over the centuries, more than 10,000 fishermen

have lost their lives off the coast of Gloucester.

Today, impressive holiday houses line the coast,

and tourists enjoy the city and the coastline.

And finally, out in the harbor,

is the schooner Thomas E. Lannon,

which takes visitors out to sea on daily cruises.

It also offers a romantic setting for a wedding

with the sun glistening on the sea.

A very happy place to end this journey.

(seagull squawking)

(dramatic music)

(logo thumps and whooshes)