Everybody loves Thanksgiving. What’s not to love—with turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and family gatherings, very few people could claim to dislike a good Thanksgiving. And every American schoolchild knows the story of the Pilgrims, an intrepid group of British colonists who braved the stormy seas to find a new life in a New World and eat turkey with their new Native American friends. However, there was a whole lot more to the Pilgrims, who were also called Separatists, than that. Yes, they were brave. Yes, they left England searching for a new life. And yes, they probably did eat a lot of turkey. People, especially Christians, often talk about the Pilgrims’ faith. What was that faith and how did it come to be? How did it drive them in their search for a new land, and how did it affect their relationship with those they met there? As far as faith goes, there was a lot more to the Pilgrims than most would see at a glance.
The Pilgrims were an offshoot of the Puritans, who followed of the doctrine of John Calvin, one of the greatest theological thinkers of all time. Calvinism takes many forms, including modern-day Reformed and Presbyterian churches (Wondering). The Puritans opposed all forms of the church hierarchy that was so prevalent in Anglican and Roman Catholic churches. They also rejected the Catholic and Anglican sacraments of penance, confession, confirmation, ordination, and last rites, claiming that they had no basis in scripture and were traditions created by humans. They only practiced the sacraments of baptism and communion, and baptized infants as a sign of complete cleansing of sin and dedication to God. True to Calvinism, they believed that God predestined all the elect to be saved before the beginning of time, meaning that those who truly belonged to God could not help being saved, and all those not predestined for salvation could not be saved. Though they could never lose their salvation, strict obedience to the law was required and punishments were severe. They read the Geneva Bible devoutly, kept their clothing simple and modest, spurned idols of all kinds, and observed only the Holy Sabbath and no other religious holidays (Zavada). All Puritans faced persecution in England for not adhering to the national religion, the Church of England, or the Anglican Church. Formed by King Henry VIII after a squabble with the pope over the issue of divorce, the Church of England differed only slightly from the Roman Catholic Church. The Puritans got their name from their emphatic insistence in the purification of the Anglican Church, which they believed needed to be cleansed of all Catholic influence. The Pilgrims were Separatists, a radical branch of the Puritans, who wished to separate completely from what they viewed as the sinfulness of the Anglican Church.
The Pilgrims only came to be called Pilgrims after their travels, and the term did not become widespread until much later (Pilgrims). They mainly came from a town called Scrooby in Nottinghamshire, England. They were strong in their convictions, despite the severe persecution from the government. After years of being arrested, accused, shunned, and thrown in prison, the Separatists of Scrooby decided to find somewhere else to live. They moved their entire congregation to Leiden, Holland. However, after several years in the Netherlands, they became discontent with their economic situation and concerned about the Dutch influence on their children. They could not go back to the religious intolerance of England, so they made an agreement with financial investors that would allow them to found a farming village in the Virginia colony (Pilgrims). Only some of them set out, the greater part staying behind in Leiden. They left in 1620 from Plymouth, England with two boats, Speedwell and Mayflower. Because Speedwell leaked badly, many of the congregation were stranded in England, while Mayflower continued with 102 passengers (Pilgrims). This was only the beginning of a harrowing experience in which the Separatists’ faith, diplomacy, survival skills, and resilience would all be put to the test.
When the Pilgrims arrived at what they would soon call Plimouth Plantation, they settled at the site of a Patuxet village, completely wiped out and abandoned because of sickness (Newcott). At this site of tragedy they began to build their new town in November, leaving most of their number on the Mayflower until homes could be built. Only fifty-two out of the original 102 Pilgrims survived that first grim winter, sometimes two or three people dying every day (Pilgrims). Surely none would have survived the next few years without the help of the Pokanoket Wampanoag people, with whom they made a treaty in 1621. The treaty promised mutual defense, which was good for the fairly defenseless settlers. The Natives also helped them learn how to live in their new surroundings, which were very different from the British and Dutch surroundings they were used to. In November of 1621, they held a feast to celebrate their survival of the past grim year, and their hope to survive the next.
What truly seems amazing is that these devout people could find anything to thank God for in their hearts after leaving their native land for what must have seemed to them a lonely wilderness, enduring a surely harrowing sea voyage, starving, freezing, and watching their loved ones die through a winter they had nearly no preparation for. Their willingness to leave all they knew in their longing to worship God as he called them to shows the profound faith of the Pilgrims that served as a strong base to the American faith and work ethic of resilience. Therefore, when countless families gather around their tables this Thanksgiving, we can remember the great sacrifices the Pilgrims took to be able to form their church freely
Works Cited
Joseph, Daniel Isaiah. “Wondering what Denominations are Calvinist? Here’s the Answer.” Christianity FAQ, christianityfaq.com/what-denominations-are-calvinist/.
Newcott, Bill. “400 Years on, the Pilgrims get a reality check.” National Geographic, November 11, 2020, www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/400-years-on-pilgrims-get-reality-check.
“Who Were the Pilgrims?” For Students, Plimouth Patuxet Museums, plimoth.org/for-students/homework-help/who-were-the-pilgrims.
Zavada, Jack. “How the Pilgrims’ Religion Inspired Thanksgiving.” Christianity, Learn Religions, May 26, 2021, www.learnreligions.com/the-pilgrims-religion-701477.
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