November 24, 1997
"History of the Pilgrims"
by Diana Waring

Beyond Survival Things We Wish We'd Known Ancient Civilizations and the Bible Romans, Reformers, Revolutionaries World Empires, World Missions, World Wars History Tapes Encouragement Tapes Music Newsletter Web Column Laughing Corner Online Catalog Place An Order! Monthly Special New & Upcoming Meet the Warings Schedule Message Board Site Map What's New? Search Site Web Links HOME

Dear Friends, Greetings from the far north of Wisconsin! The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and the temperature is freezing cold!! Regardless of where we live, November is a wonderful month to be a homeschooler - to explore the changing seasons in our own locale. It's also a great month for learning history...particularly, the history of the people who courageously began a new settlement in North America - the Pilgrims. Most of us know the basic outline of the story of the first American Thanksgiving. Many of us understand about the small band of "separatists" who wanted freedom to worship God according to the Scriptures. However, when we "use a microscope" on this moment of history, it reveals a marvelous story of courageous parents who risked everything in order to be able to raise their children in the fear of the Lord. Come with me this week to examine the Pilgrims, not as intrepid pioneers, but as sacrificial parents. The Separatists were originally from England, and it was from the Church of England that they wished to separate. Another group who would eventually come to the New World, the Puritans, wanted to "purify" the Church of England. In contrast, the Separatists wanted to pursue a simple, New Testament version of worshiping God and of living their lives apart from the trappings of the Church. At this moment in English history, that sort of autonomy was considered rebellion against the king, and was vigorously counteracted. People were imprisoned, Separatist churches were not allowed, people had to meet secretly in homes, properties were confiscated. Yet, for the commitment to rear their children properly and to worship freely before God, these Separatists persisted. On the Continent, Protestant Holland had been fighting for her freedom and autonomy from the ruling Spaniards. This is a fascinating story of courage as well, and worthy of further research. For our present purpose, though, let it suffice to report that in the early 1600's a truce of sorts was called, and that for the next dozen years, peace reigned in Holland. At this historic moment, the Separatists of England felt led of God to leave their country and establish a "colony" on the Continent. Holland was the ideal place for them since the war with Spain was at a lull, and the Dutch openly welcomed Protestant believers of all types. So, the Separatists escaped to Holland. Actually, it was not quite as easy as that. The first time they attempted to go, the Separatists paid an English sea captain the money to secretly transport their families to Holland. They were betrayed by the captain who recognized both the opportunity for double profit and for the opportunity to receive honor from the king as well! The Separatists were thrown into prison, had their belongings confiscated, and suffered all kinds of humiliations and troubles. That did not, however, deter them in the least. (Perhaps it was sent as a test to strengthen their resolve, for when they went to North America, their trials were much more severe.) The second time the Separatists paid for transport to Holland, they made sure to hire a foreign captain! This time, the plans proceeded smoothly as many of the men were preparing the ship while the women and children prepared themselves on the beach. It was smooth until the King's army suddenly came charging toward the beach! The captain of the ship immediately raised sail as he did not want to lose his ship to the English for his willingness to help these "traitors". Amid the helpless cries of the men for their wives and children, came screams from the shore as the soldiers roughly grabbed those remaining on the beach. It was a traumatic time for everyone, made even more intense for those on the ship by the storm they encountered just off the Dutch coast which almost sunk the ship. Eventually, the women and children were released by the authorities and were allowed to follow their men to Holland. At last! Freedom! Well, freedom of a sorts. For you see, though the Separatists were free to worship God in their own manner, they were not free to get good, well-paying jobs. They did not know the language, they were poor when they arrived having had all of their belongings confiscated by the English Crown yet again. The Dutch were very kind, and made many provisions for these people, yet, the cost of living in a war-devastated country was so high that the Separatists found themselves working nonstop, morning till night, day after day, year after year with almost nothing to show for it. The people began "wearing out"... dying young, becoming weak and disabled. The greatest concern was that their children were being drawn to the much easier lifestyle of the Dutch people around them, and were more and more leaving the colony of English Separatists for "greener pastures." Also, there were many Separatists remaining in England who wished to join the colony, but there was not enough room for them to come. And, finally, it appeared that the war with Spain was going to recommence any time. It was God's timing. Just at this moment, in the year 1620, the Separatists learned of a venture in the New World that they could join. A company was willing to front the money for the venture, but the Pilgrims would have to become, in essence, slaves, until such time that they would work off the cost of their passage and outfitting (tools, etc.). The company had a charter from the King of England, so everything was "legal" and above board. Or, at least the Separatists thought so. Everything was arranged, preparations were made, and many of the Separatists in Holland sailed back to England to join with the others. Once in England, and as they were about to depart for the New World, the Pilgrims learned they had once again been cheated, and had contracted a much higher debt with the Company than they had been told. However, there was nothing to be done at this late date, and so they set sail on two vessels, the Mayflower and the Speedwell. Within a short time, the Speedwell developed such leaks that it was forced to turn back. Now, rather than having adequate accommodations for the number of people traveling to the New World, the people were forced to squeeze as many as possible below the decks of the Mayflower. I don't know about you, but I would surely have been tempted to call the whole thing off by this time! Fortunately, those aboard the Mayflower were made of sterner stuff. They set sail once again across the Atlantic, through storms and swells and bad weather... It was a miserable nine-week voyage for all concerned. But when they reached the New World, the news got worse. The storms had blown them off course, so they were much further north than they had intended to go. Since it was getting so late in the year, due to all of the troubles with the Speedwell, the people really needed to set about building shelters for the coming winter rather than continue fighting the storms. They tacked up and down the coast for several days looking for a good place to begin a settlement. They were aware of several factors the site needed: a good harbor, in order to receive more ships from England; fresh water; a defensible location; woods close by for building materials and fuel; a spot for planting crops. During one of the excursions to examine a possible settlement site, they discovered, buried in the ground, baskets of corn. Thankful to God for this provision, they were able to supplement their meager food stores with this unusual vegetable. Blessing in the midst of the trial! At last they discovered a location that appeared to be ideal, and what was more, it appeared to be uninhabited by native people. The historic site of the Pilgrim's landing is believed to be at Plymouth Rock. Just prior to disembarking, however, they realized that, since they were beyond the area designated by the King's Charter, it was vital that they draw up a governing document for the new settlement. It was called the Mayflower Compact, and this document is one of the cornerstones of American freedom. ("Read more about it!") It's somewhat shocking to realize that these Separatists, these Pilgrims, did not have a nice hotel to check into upon arrival. Speaking for a traveling family, I can tell you that to arrive at your destination and to have to build your shelter before you can sleep in it (not to mention tracking and killing your food before you can eat it), would be a daunting experience! And this after weeks of being below decks with dozens of people in a tossing, tiny ship; passage so dangerous the children could not even peek out for a breath of air. From the time they landed, these Pilgrims began working as hard as they could to ready themselves for the approaching winter. Shelter, food, heat, water - these were the necessities of life. Beds, tables and chairs were not even considered important in the beginning. It was just at this point that sickness began to decimate their ranks. Now, in addition to working feverishly against time to construct shelter, the Pilgrims were nursing their sick, and then digging graves for those who died. More and more were taken sick, more and more died. The Mayflower had remained with the Pilgrims, since the kind-hearted captain wanted to provide a shelter and a means of escape if they were not able to withstand the difficulties. And as winter came ever closer, the window of opportunity for leaving these shores vanished. Sailors as well as Pilgrims were stricken by sickness, and it appeared that the entire venture might die out before it ever had a chance to be established. Mercifully, people began to recover and the deaths tapered off. However, fully one-half of the travelers died during this time. With weary, grieving hearts, the Pilgrims continued to labor to survive during the winter. Even with such reduced numbers of people to feed, there was still barely enough food to go around. When spring finally arrived, the Mayflower sailed back to England, without any Pilgrims aboard! Though the captain had generously offered to take back anyone who wanted to return (without charge), the Pilgrims were determined to carve out a place in the wilderness for themselvesto raise their families in the fear of God. And then a miraculous occurrence - they met a native who spoke English! His name was Squanto, and the Pilgrims were building on the land of his people. He told them that he had been taken to England as a slave where he learned the language. Then, when he was able to escape back to his home, he discovered that all of this people had died in an epidemic just before he arrived. The land had been vacant for just a short time before the Pilgrims arrived... Isn't it amazing to consider that God had set them in the one place where they wouldn't be taking land from others? Squanto showed them how to construct a fish trap, and demonstrated how to effectively plant corn (with decomposing fish!!). He taught them so many lessons of how to eat of the bounty of this land, things that were as foreign to them as they would be to people living in a metropolitan city today. He was also an able interpreter for the Pilgrims, teaching them about the other native peoples in the area, and helping them establish a working relationship with the neighboring chief, Massasoit. This good relationship, this treaty of peace, lasted for fifty years. The summer progressed in all of God's bounty for them. The hardworking Pilgrims now could build those tables, beds and chairs, beside building new dwelling places for individual families. They could garden and hunt, prepare new fields for planting, and more. Chore after chore, job after job, they worked to firmly establish their settlement. When the harvest had come, someone suggested that perhaps now it would be appropriate to celebrate God's goodness and provision with a time of feasting and thanksgiving. Well, you know the rest of the story. But how powerful it is to learn the circumstances surrounding Thanksgiving. The Pilgrims gave thanks to God for all of His provision, including the precious gift of Squanto's and Massasoit's friendship to them. They were thankful that they were building a colony were their children would be able to learn about God without distraction or interference. They were thankful for the freedom to worship God as their hearts desired. They were thankful for many of the same things that you and I need to be thankful for. Let us learn from their example, and truly make this week with our families a week of rejoicing and giving thanks for His goodness to us. Let me finish with one of the songs of worship that the Pilgrims sang. It was from the Psalms, and is called Olde Hundredth. It's tune is that of the Doxology, and the spelling of the words is from *The Book of Psalmes* printed in 1612. "Showt to Jehovah, al the earth. Serve ye Jehovah with gladnes: Before Him come with singing merth. Know, that Jehovah he God is: Its He that made us, and not wee; His folk, and sheep of His feeding. O with confession enter yee His gates, his courtyards with praising: Confess to Him, bless ye His name. Because Jehovah He good is: His mercy ever is the same: And His faith, unto al ages." Blessings,   Diana Return to the List of the BOTCW Columns

HOME  •   Catalog  •   Books  •   Study Guides  •   Tapes  •   About the Author
Online Resources  •   Message Board  •   Newsletter  •   Web Column  •   Site Help

P.O. Box 378  •  Spearfish, SD 57783-2331  •  Phone: (605) 642-7583
E-mail: diana@dianawaring.com  •  URL: http://www.dianawaring.com/
© 1997-2000 Diana Waring, all rights reserved

LOST? LOOKING FOR A SPECIFIC PAGE? NEED A MAP TO GET AROUND?
Try our Site Map!