More Observations about the Real Thanksgiving Story
As we endeavor to learn the un-doctored truth about Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims, it is important to ask: Who were the Pilgrims? Their story begins in the early part of the 1600s. The Church of England, under King James I, was persecuting anyone and everyone who did not recognize its civil and spiritual authority. Truth be told, in the 1500s and the 1600s, Christianity suffered through much drama and instability. The kings of Europe used the Protestant Reformation and the corresponding split with the Roman Catholic Church to enhance their power. Most kings worked hard to establish a “State Church,” and those who did not get in line with the official religion were dealt with harshly. The Pilgrims were one of many groups who balked at following the “State Church.” Like the other dissenters, they were hunted down, imprisoned, and sometimes executed for their beliefs. The Pilgrims, seeking religious freedom, fled to Holland and established a community in the early 1600s. After 11 years, about 40 of them agreed to make a perilous journey to the New World in hopes of greater religious freedom and a better life.
On August 1, 1620, these Pilgrims sailed on the Mayflower for America. The Mayflower carried 102 passengers, including the 40 Pilgrims led by William Bradford. There were many settlements that predate the Pilgrims landing in 1620. After Columbus’ discovery of the “New World” in 1492 the Spanish were very active in establishing new settlements in the 1500’s. St. Augustine, Florida was established in 1565 and is the oldest continuously settled community in the United States. The Mayflower’s intended destination was Virginia. Virginia had been settled in 1607, with Jamestown being the first and most well-known. Unfortunately, the Mayflower missed its intended target by over 600 miles. Instead of the warmer, friendlier climate of Virginia, the Mayflower landed in the much colder area of New England. William Bradford’s journal speaks of the unexpected conditions. Instead of arriving in a more habitable area with potential friends, the Pilgrims found a cold, barren and desolate wilderness with no allies or friends.
The sacrifice they made for religious freedom was just the beginning. During the first winter, half the Pilgrims (including Bradford’s wife) died of either starvation, sickness or exposure. When the spring came, Indians taught the settlers to plant corn, how to fish and skin beavers for coats. Life improved, yet they did not prosper. Our current revisionist history wants to place the credit for the Pilgrim’s survival at the feet of the Indians. While the Indians helped, led by the guidance of Squanto, several important details are left out.
Detail #1—The original contract the Pilgrims entered into with their merchant-sponsors in London (before they sailed to America) called for everything they produced to go into a common store. Each member of the community was entitled to one common share. All the land they cleared and the houses they built belonged to the community as well. This utopian plan of share and share alike was great in theory. In practice it did not work. This form of collectivism was as costly and destructive to the Pilgrims as that first harsh winter. It seems that no one was overly motivated to work. When no one personally owned anything, there was little incentive to work. After that devastating first winter, William Bradford, who had become Governor of the colony, realized changes needed to be made. The Pilgrims abandoned this early form of socialism because it did not work, and Bradford assigned a plot of land to each family for them to own, work and manage. Bradford wrote that the original plan of sharing everything bred discontent and laziness. Consider the following quote from Governor Bradford: “Young men that were the most able and fit for labor and service did repine that they should spend their time and strength to work for other men’s wives and children without any recompense . . . that was thought to be injustice.” The Pilgrims learned quickly that people could not be expected to do their best work without incentive. The answer to their harsh situation was to unleash the power of good old-fashioned free enterprise and capitalism. What was the result? Bradford wrote that this new plan brought great success. He said: “This made all hands more industrious, so much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been.” In no time, the Pilgrims found they had more food than they could eat. They set up trading posts and exchanged goods with the Indians. This is the setting for the first Thanksgiving.
Detail #2—God was at the center of all they did and believed. As the Pilgrims learned lessons that were necessary to their new life in the new world, they never forgot God. All efforts, all sacrifices, all goals were based on their desire to honor and worship God. We would be wise to have the same resolve and mindset. We will always have lessons to learn and areas in which we need to grow. Everything we do is connected to our walk with Jesus. As we celebrate Thanksgiving, let us give glory to God. Keep looking up!