The Thanksgiving holiday is upon us. So, let’s look back to see how this holiday came into being. American Thanksgiving has its roots back to the year 1620 and to a group of individuals who wanted the freedom to worship God as they felt scripture dictated rather than how a government dictated. At that time in history, the Church of England was the same as the government of England because King James I was the head of both. A group of individuals, known as Separatists, believed that the king’s decisions were not equal to those of scripture and scripture was the higher authority. However, the English government believed not to agree with the king in all religious matters was treason. Some of these individuals wanted a place where they would not be persecuted for how they chose to worship God. We have come to know these particular Separatists as Pilgrims.

They originally had two ships: the Speedwell and the Mayflower. The Speedwell could not make the trip so all 102 of them left for North America in the Mayflower. They were to head to a place previous Pilgrims had landed: in the northern part of Virginia Territory near what is today New York. However, they arrive off the coast of what we know today as Cape Cod, Massachusetts, 66 days later than expected and with much sickness. Their first winter was disastrous; they lost more than one –half of their number. Forty-one of them, led by William Bradford, signed the Mayflower Compact where they committed themselves to God and to the advancement of the Christian faith and to create a settlement there rather than trying to find the place of their original destination. Even though so many of their group died, they were committed to continue on. As if in confirmation of their decision, their first meeting of a Native American was one of the Abenaki Indian tribe who actually understood English. This native later returned with Squanto of the Pawtuxet tribe who also spoke English and taught them how to plant and harvest corn, how to collect maple sap, fish, and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped them forge a peace treaty with the local Wampanoag tribe, a peace treaty that lasted for nearly 50 years.

That next Fall, they and their new allies of the Wampanoag tribe gathered together and had a feast for 3 days. It is not known exactly what this feast consisted of, but it is known that the Pilgrims went on a “fowling” mission and the Native Americans brought deer. It is likely that the meal was of what the Native Americans would eat and prepare. From that time forward, various settlements and then various states would hold periodic days of thanksgiving and fasting but none of these were coordinated among these groups and/or states. Sarah Josepha Hale, a noted magazine editor and author, lobbied for 36 years to Senators and Congressmen to make a national holiday for such an event. Not until 1863 did this happen when President Abraham Lincoln, at the height of the Civil War, declared the last Thursday in November as a national day of thanksgiving. President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in 1941, moved the holiday up a week to try to spur the economy but met great public opposition. Therefore, in 1943 he assigned Thanksgiving Day to be the fourth Thursday in November. As time went on, traditions became associated with Thanksgiving: parades and eating turkey and cranberry sauce. It has become a time for family to get together and enjoy each other’s company.

The ideals that the Pilgrims used to start building this great nation of ours was commemorated in an 81-foot-high monument, commissioned by the Pilgrim’s Society, now called the National Monument to the Forefathers, located on Allerton Street in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It is the world’s largest solid granite monument. Its concept began in 1820 with planning started in 1850. Its cornerstone was laid in 1859 with its construction completed in 1888 and dedicated in 1889. The sculpture was designed by Hammatt Billings, a Boston architect, illustrator and sculptor. His original idea was to have it being 150 feet high but was scaled back. Here are its major features:

The base is octagonal but has four major buttresses that project out from the center. On these are figures that represent the principles upon which the Pilgrims founded their Commonwealth. The central and highest figure is that of Faith with her right hand pointing toward heaven and her left hand clutching the Bible. The other four figures starting from the east going counter-clockwise are principles which are produced from Faith: Liberty, Morality, Law and Education. Under Liberty is Tyranny Overthrown and Peace; under Morality stands Prophet and Evangelist; under Law stands Justice and Mercy; and under Education are Youth and Wisdom. On the face of each of the buttresses, under the figures, are marble scenic reliefs from Pilgrim history: Landing (under Freedom), Embarcation (under Morality), Treaty (under Law), and Compact (under Education). On the faces of the main pedestal are inscriptions. On the right and left panels are the names of those who came over in the Mayflower. The front panel has the following inscription:

National Monument to the Forefathers. Erected by a grateful people in remembrance of their labors, sacrifices and sufferings for the cause of civil and religious liberty.

On the rear is a quote from Governor William Bradford:

“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 shone unto many, yea in some sort to our whole nation; let the glorious name of Jehovah have all praise."

This monument was built to remind us all of the principles upon which the Pilgrims used to lay the foundation for what was to become the United States of America. It was formed so that we would never forget the Pilgrims or upon what the nation’s foundation was built. This monument has been featured in the film Monumental which traces the history of the Pilgrims, the reason for their coming to America and the Biblical ideals they upheld to establish the foundation of a great nation.

Therefore, this Thanksgiving, if you are a citizen of the United States, give thanks for our founding fathers and the ideals on which they based our country's foundation. It has made our country to be great. Then pray that you will continue to uphold these principles. What if you are not a citizen of the U.S. and perhaps your country was not founded on such principles? Then you can start at home with these principles. After all, our country was not a country when the Pilgrims began laying the foundation. They were just a group of families, but they had a profound vision for their descendants’ future. You can do the same and start with your own family. The first Thanksgiving was small and has grown into a great nation. Your small family can also grow into a large influence of countless future generations. They started in their own families with faith in God, liberty for everyone, morality to God's standards, and education of their children in all of these principles in their own family and then instituted these ideals into the nation's foundation. We can continue to do the same. God blessed their efforts; he will also bless ours. I trust your Thanksgiving this year is one of proud reflection and thanks.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens

With Thanksgiving approaching, this movie came back to my memory. It’s hard to believe a whole decade has passed since it came out! I think it is time for us to remember the message of the movie. If you haven’t seen it, now is the time to do so. If you have, now is the time to view it again.

This movie got me to thinking: if the Puritans were like us today, would the United States of America ever have happened? When I think about all the roadblocks they encountered, how did they know it was still God’s will to press onward? It seems they not only had a plan for their immediate future, but they also had a vision for their descendants. They considered their lives only steppingstones to the final goal. Do we have that same vision, that same tenacity, today?

Look at the roadblocks which they encountered:

1. King James I was the one who commissioned the translation of the Bible into English and was called the “Defender of the Faith” by those who translated the Bible. Yet, the Anglican Church of England was the very source which was condemning those who then wanted to live by the words of that very same Bible as committing treason because they expected the king and the clergy to actually obey what God’s word literally said. Isn’t that ironic? Actually, the Puritans rejected the King James Bible and used the Geneva Bible which they felt was more scholarly in translation. Interesting fact: America was founded with the use of the Geneva Bible and not the King James Bible.

2. The Puritans, part of the Separatists (who wanted to be separate from the Church of England), did not believe the king should be head of the church and should be subject to God’s laws just like everyone else. Therefore, to be against the Church of England was to be against the king and, thereby, was viewed by the monarchy as an act of treason. The Puritans had to meet secretly. They looked for a place where they could worship God as the Bible declared. The Puritans were really a local body of believers who sought to worship God with freedom from persecution.

3. They bought passage on a boat to Holland, but the captain double-dipped in his profits and sold out the Pilgrims to the English authorities who put them in prison. Amazingly, this did not deter them but made their resolve stronger. They then found passage on another boat; the men separated themselves from the women and children as a measure to try to keep them safe and all were to meet at a rendezvous point to get on the boat. However, the women’s raft landed on a sandbar, and they were therefore caught by the English officials. The men made it to Holland, and it took about another year to get their families to Holland.

4. The Puritans were committed to help their countrymen understand the truth of God’s word and started printing materials and smuggling them back into England. However, English officials eventually found the source and had the printing press destroyed.

5. They eventually got back to England and purchased two boats: the Speedwell and the Mayflower to sail them to America. However, after they left England, the Speedwell began to take on significant water so they had to return to England. Then some of them had to stay behind while the rest went to America on the Mayflower. This ship had been used to carry wine from one city in England to another. It had never sailed across the Atlantic Ocean. A journey that was supposed to take 3 weeks took 8 weeks (66 days). Over 100 people were in a space not designed for even half that number. The seas were rough, and people got sick not only from the motion of the boat but from all of the waste smell as well. In addition, the ship almost sank due to a major beam cracking; they were able to brace it with a huge screw that the Pilgrims happened to bring along with them. Providential don't you think?

6. Once they arrived, it was late in the Fall, and they had to endure a winter without much preparation. Over half of their number died that winter. Yet, the next spring when the captain was going to return to England, he begged them to return with him, yet they all refused. Not one went back to England. Wow! What resolve! Despite all of their troubles and setbacks, they still felt they were on God’s mission for their lives and for the future of their descendants. William Bradford even taught himself Hebrew so he could read God’s word in its original language to understand God even better. Amazing!

See all the setbacks? What would we have done? What would you have done? Would you have said, “Obviously, God does not want us to do this; after all, look at all of the closed doors.” However, they did not. They maintained their resolve. They maintained their vision. They did not doubt God’s blessings. Over half their number died and yet they did not doubt. See what a small thread our nation was built upon? Yet, what character upon which our nation was built! There is no doubt as to why they came when one reads the Mayflower compact that they all established: “For the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith…” Our roots and heritage were definitely built upon religious freedom. Yet, weren’t they for separation of church as state? Actually, no. They were against the king being the head of the church and dictating how one could worship. They were not against a Christian-influenced government. Why? Because they believed faith in God was the foundational principle for life. Only from that view point can one establish a moral character. It is a character built from within that has a positive effect on society – not a government dictating one’s actions. They then can teach their children these sample principles to propagate this faith, morality, and strong character. Then, and only then, can they have true freedom. A freedom that can then cause prosperity because people are self-motivated, look out for the betterment of their fellow man, and look to do what is right. Not a right in their own eyes, but what is right in God’s eyes.

Even if we look at our founding fathers, who today, our schools teach were atheists and deists. But really? Were they? Of course not everyone was Christian, but the majority were. Most of those who signed the Declaration of Independence had a seminary degree. The first Bible printed in America was commissioned by Congress—yes Congress! It was printed for use in schools—yes, in schools! And it was printed to be used by individuals in their homes. Why? Our founding fathers and the government they established recognized the fact that in order for the Constitution to work, people had to have a basic sense of morality and be able to have integrity, character and self-control. That is the type of people the Constitution was to govern. The values upon which it was based cannot be forced on someone. These values must be within the country’s people. What better way to ensure that than to have people understand what God expects from His creation? These are the people who made America great. These are the principles upon which America was founded that made it great. Are you going to continue to make it great?

This Thanksgiving, thank God for the Puritans and our founding fathers who gave all they had not only for themselves but for their descendants as well so that future generations could have a country where freedom is proclaimed to all. Let’s not take our freedom lightly. And let’s not let it be taken away. Praise God from whom all blessings flow! Have a blessed Thanksgiving Day.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens