Do You Know How Long Americans Have Celebrated Thanksgiving?

            Today is Thanksgiving Day, one of the most popular holidays in America. Yet, there are people living in America who do not like Thanksgiving and are trying to stop the celebration. They are the same people who do not like America as it is and want to “fundamentally change” it into a socialist nation.

            Have you ever wondered how many years have passed since the first Thanksgiving? I knew that it happened many years ago, but I had not considered how many until I saw an article written by Scott S. Powell entitled “Why the 400^th Anniversary of Thanksgiving Matters Today.” According to Powell, Americans should revisit “the Pilgrim ‘character’ and their five significant achievements.” Here are the five significant achievements of the Pilgrims. 

First, of the many groups of settlers who came to America, only the Pilgrims were singularly motivated by a quest for religious freedom. They repeatedly spoke about their voyage to the New World in terms of a flight from tyranny to freedom, comparing themselves to God’s chosen people -- the Israelites -- who overcame slavery and abuse in Egypt to get to the Promised Land. Similar to the Israelite’s exodus, the Pilgrims had left what they saw as oppressive and morally corrupt authorities in Great Britain and Europe to create a new life in America….

Now in sight of land after a frightening voyage and facing hunger from spoiled and depleted provisions and anxious about settling outside the purview of Virginia Company charter territory, the secular Mayflower passengers were clamoring for rebellion. And this is when the Pilgrims made their second major achievement that would shape the future of America. 

Pilgrim leaders William Bradford and William Brewster recognized that Mayflower passengers, diverse as they were, needed to maintain unity in order to survive and settle in a potentially inhospitable environment. So they drafted a governing agreement that would be acceptable to both their Christian brethren and the secular crewman and merchant adventurers who made up about half the 102 people aboard the Mayflower. That governing document, known as the Mayflower Compact, provided for peace, security and equality for everyone in their anticipated settlement. With every man aboard signing the Mayflower Compact, the Pilgrims established the foundation for democratic self-government based on the will of people for the first time. Without knowing it at the time of adopting the Mayflower Compact, the Pilgrims were laying the cornerstone of the U.S. Constitution, which would follow some 170 years later….

The Pilgrims’ third major achievement was the Pilgrim-Wampanoag Peace Treaty that was signed on April 1, 1621, by leaders of the Plymouth colony and Indian chief Massasoit. And a remarkable accomplishment it was, for it lasted more than 50 years -- longer than subsequent peace treaties made by other colonizing groups with native Indian tribes. The fact that there were bloody conflicts between other colonists and tribes, such as in the Pequot War fought in Connecticut in 1636-1637, makes the Pilgrims stand out for they succeeded in maintaining the longest-lasting and most equitable peace between natives and immigrants in the history of what would become the United States….

The Pilgrims fourth major achievement was the rejection [of] socialism and the adoption of private enterprise. After the meager Thanksgiving harvest, the second season of collective farming and distribution proved equally disappointing. Governor Bradford had seen enough, recording that the system “was found to breed much confusion and discontent and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort.” So before the 1623 season he scrapped socialist farming and replaced it with private ownership of land for each of the families. As a result of becoming responsible for their own welfare and gaining freedom to choose what to grow for consumption or trade, the Pilgrims’ productivity surged.

The fifth factor that distinguished the Pilgrims was their model relational behavior. While tolerance enabled them to keep relative harmony in their diverse community, they also looked outwardly to serve and help others. In March of 1623, it came to be known that Massasoit was on the brink of death from an unknown sickness. Senior Pilgrim elder Edward Winslow immediately set out on a forty-mile journey to administer medicinal broth, natural herbs and prayers to Massasoit. Astonishingly, he made full recovery within days, and remarked, “Now I see the English are my friends and love me; and whilst I live, I will never forget this kindness they have showed me.”  … [Emphasis added.]

            I knew the basic story of the first Thanksgiving, but Powell’s article organized my thinking about it. It is important that today’s Americans know the basic story, and it is also important to know the character of the Pilgrims. First, the Pilgrims came to America seeking religious freedom. Second, they signed the Mayflower Compact that “provided for peace, security and equality for everyone,” religious and secular. Third, they made a peace treaty with the Native Americans that lasted for fifty years. Fourth, they rejected socialism when they discovered that it did not work and adopted a free enterprise system. Fifth, they were morally good people and treated each other with respect. I encourage you to read the entire article.