Seeking religious freedom in the New World, the Pilgrims were willing to risk everything to come to America with the hope of a better life for themselves and their children.
Sadly, strategic efforts are at work in our nation to discount, demean, and shame the Pilgrims and the celebration of Thanksgiving Day. They are determined to tear down the importance of the first Thanksgiving, referring to it as a blot in American history, looking to cause division between people across our country by distorting and rewriting history, accusing the Pilgrims of bringing destruction to the Native Americans.
The groups behind these tireless efforts are working to rewrite America’s history, attempting to obliterate the significant godly Judeo-Christian foundation and heritage of our nation.
Even so, putting their accusations and claims aside, let’s look at the godly desires that led the Pilgrims to voyage across the Atlantic Ocean to the New World, along with the impact of their coming to America, including the first Thanksgiving Day.
What Led the Pilgrims to America
As historian and author Rod Gragg writes in The Pilgrim Chronicles, around 1606 mid-England, the Pilgrims began as a group of Christian separatists seeking to worship Jesus in the purity of the gospel, based on their understanding of the Geneva Bible.
Sadly, the Pilgrims fell under severe persecution as religious meetings outside the Church of England were illegal, causing the group around 1609 to flee to Holland. But they soon found the Netherlands too worldly, leading their children astray with Dutch ways, and looked for other options.
Hearing news of the Jamestown settlement led the Pilgrims to borrow funds and request permission from King James to make the Mayflower voyage. Granting them permission, the King’s decision offered them the opportunity to sail to the New World, with the hope of giving their congregation a permanent place where they could worship Jesus in peace.
Seeking religious freedom in the New World, the Pilgrims were willing to risk everything to come to America with the hope of a better life for themselves and their children.
What the Pilgrims Endured to Come to America
In his book The Treacherous World of the 16th Century & How the Pilgrims Escaped It: The Prequel to America's Freedom, author, historian, and speaker William J. Federer chronicles how after two failed attempts to leave England, the Pilgrims boarded the 90-foot-long Mayflower for their 66-day journey of 2,750 miles on September 6, 1620, carrying 102 passengers that included 73 men and 29 women, writing, “They encountered storms so rough that the beam supporting the main mast cracked. It was propped back in place with ‘a great iron screw,’ which they brought along for help with house constructions.”
During the voyage, John Howland, a youth onboard, was swept overboard by a freezing wave and rescued. History reveals that his descendants include a poet, an iconic actor, and two presidents: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Humphrey Bogart, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and George W. Bush.
As well, while out at sea, one crew member and one passenger died and a mother gave birth to a child who was named Oceanus.
The Pilgrims intended to land in Virginia and join the Jamestown Colony, under the king-appointed governor, Sir Georg Yeardley. However, stormy weather historically changed their plans, blowing the Mayflower 500 miles off-course, landing them in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Why Sighting of America Brought Thanksgiving Prayer to the Pilgrims
After sighting land on November 9, 1620, they were led in a prayer of thanksgiving from Psalm 100 by Mayflower passenger William Brewster, who would become a senior elder and leader of the Plymouth colony.
William Bradford, another Mayflower passenger who became governor of Plymouth for 30 years, wrote of the safe arrival: “Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth, their proper element.”
How the Mayflower Compact Led to America’s Self-Governing
Landing in Plymouth rather than Jamestown caused a government crisis and dilemma for the Pilgrims, with no king appointed to take charge in case of an emergency.
Federer writes, “To solve this, the Pilgrims did something unprecedented —they gave themselves the authority and created their own government —the Mayflower Compact, signed November 11, 1620. This was the beginning of a polarity change in world government. Instead of a top-down government being ruled by the will of a king, this was an experiment in a bottom-up form of government, being ruled by the will of the people.”
With amazing forethought, the Pilgrims penned the Mayflower Compact, a Christian agreement for self-government, which became a prequel to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, making it a real milestone in America’s history and a major step toward our nation’s birth.
Who Influenced the Writing of the Mayflower Compact
In setting up their government, the Pilgrims chose John Carver as their first governor, who is also credited with writing the Mayflower Compact and being the first signer of it.
The idea of self-government written in the Mayflower Compact came from Pilgrim separatist Pastor John Robinson, considered one of the founders of the Congregational Church.
Federer notes, “Pastor Robinson is prominently depicted kneeling in prayer next to elder William Brewster, who is holding an open Bible, in the painting “The Embarkation of the Pilgrims,” which hangs in the U.S. Capitol Rotunda.”
How the Pilgrims Cultivated Unity
President, historian, and Providence Forum Executive Director Jerry Newcombe paints a picture of their lives in his film The Pilgrims, which portrays how the original Plymouth, Massachusetts, 1621, Thanksgiving celebration models a Christ-like example of individuals from diverse backgrounds breaking bread together in harmony.
The Pilgrims were befriended by Native American Samoset of the Permaquid tribe, who became a liaison to the local Wampanoag Chief Massasoit. He was also aided by Squanto, a Patuxet, who helped the Pilgrims learn how to plant local crops and fish with traps.
After overcoming a devastating year of food scarcity, sickness, and death, the Pilgrims and the Native Americans came together at the end of a successful harvest to celebrate with three days of feasting and games, along with giving thanks, which was a part of both the Pilgrims' and the Native Americans’ culture.
Unlike the bleak, oppressive picture painted by critics of the first Thanksgiving, “The original Thanksgiving was a celebration involving true diversity,” writes Newcombe, “showing what happens when people of different cultures sit down and celebrate together.”
Additionally, Newcombe points to Reverend Billy Falling, a Native American author and minister, who believes, “The Pilgrims did have good relations with the Indians. The Pilgrims were kind to the Indians; they showed them love, they showed them compassion, they showed them the godly way to live.”
What the Pilgrims Brought to America
Beyond bringing religious freedom, self-government, and even the beginning of Thanksgiving Day, the Pilgrims brought the light of Jesus Christ to America. “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’” (John 8:12).
In coming to America, the Pilgrims took His words to heart. “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:14-16).
Bradford wrote in his journal: “Thus, out of small beginnings, greater things have been produced by His hand that made all things of nothing, and gives being to all things that are; and, as one small candle may light a thousand, so the light here kindled hath shown unto many.”
Resources:
Gragg, R. (2014). The Pilgrims Chronicles (pp. 1-75). Regnery History.
Federer, W. J. (2018). The Treacherous World of the 16th Century & How the Pilgrims Escaped It: The Prequel to America's Freedom. (pp. 1-191). William J. Federer.
Newcombe, J., Dr. (Director). (2021). The Pilgrims [Film]. Providence Forum.
Bradford, W. (1620-1647). Of Plymouth Plantation (Book 2, Chapter 11, p. 371). William Bradford.
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Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
