Folks, This is rather lengthy, but an important--and true--reminder for each American.
Someone once said, "You cannot know who you are until you know whom you have been", referring, of course, to the contribution of our ancestors.
This is particularly true of our nation, and of us, as it's people.
So as you gather around the table this season of Thanks giving, remember from whence we came: but more importantly, remember the One whose Hand has guided and protected us all these years. --W.
Thanksgiving in America: A History
Prior to the dawn of the 1600's, it was obvious to Christians living in England that the Roman Catholic Church of England was corrupt. Increasingly, those who held to the Bible as God's Inspired Word, and tried to live by it, came under attacks from the church itself.
Two groups emerged, both desiring to "fix" the ailing church, and to return it to its Scriptural principles. One group, known as the Puritans, because they wanted to remain in the church and "purify" it's sins, as members in good standing.
The others, known as Separatists--later to be called Pilgrims--felt that the church was too broken to be fixed, and a new start must be made.
These Separatists were the main focus of the church's persecution; and finally they came to realize that if they were to survive and raise their children in the true faith, they'd have to do it somewhere other than England. They gathered and discussed their options. Many times. Finally, they decided that they'd fare better if they moved to Holland, where they could live as God dictated. In 1608, they moved. It was this move that earned them the name Pilgrims, for they truly were wandering, in search of a home.
The Dutch welcomed them. They were, in fact, too welcoming; for the Pilgrim's children were being lured into the lax moral standards of Dutch society. Added to that, only Dutch citizens could own property. Although they could run their businesses, they could never own their own homes or other property. They couldn't participate in the Dutch business Guilds, and were struggling financially, to "make ends meet".
So, upon hearing that there was another land, a land where no religious restrictions were in place; and where people were so few they would surely able to set their own standards of acceptable behavior; it was decided that some of the families would go see what this new land offered.
And so it was that two ships: The Speedwell and the Mayflower, set sail with some of the families on board, as well as others who wished to stake a claim in the land known as America. Their journey began in September, 1620.
Trouble came immediately, for the Speedwell began taking on water. The ships docked on the coast of England, so repairs could be made. Repairs made, they resumed their journey, but it became apparent that the Speedwell would never be seaworthy; and precious time and provisions were being consumed in dealing with the defective ship. So, some of the group decided to return to Holland, while others boarded the Mayflower to continue the journey to the New World.
They secured a land grant to settle in Virginia, near the mouth of the Hudson River. They hadn't reckoned with the horrific storms which kept them below decks in deplorable conditions. Dark, damp, smelly: so low were the ceilings that one could hardly stand upright.
Illness was a constant companion, though not one of the Pilgrims died. The one death on this journey was that of a sailor who hated them, and often told them he couldn't wait to throw their dead corpses overboard. They were known to the sailors as "Psalm-singing puke stockings."
The Pilgrims met together for daily Bible reading, prayer, and singing. On the long voyage, this kept their spirits up, reminding them that they were serving a larger purpose.
They arrived in Provincetown Bay in November, having been blown off course by the storms. Since their charter was for Virginia, they realized immediately they had a problem.
On board were several strong, indentured servants, who would be needed to establish and build homes once they came ashore. However, these men were only bound as servants if they landed in Virginia. In Provincetown Bay, once they set foot on land, they were free men; and were exulting in their freedom, discussing plans to explore far and wide.
In the cold November sleet and ice, every able man was needed to pull together, if this little colony was to survive. So, they convinced these servants that it would be better for them to live as free men, participating in the government of a colony, rather than risk their lives alone in an unknown land; particularly in the winter season.
To that end, they drew up an agreement: the first American Governmental Document, The Mayflower Compact.
It reads as follows:
The Mayflower Compact
In the Name of God, Amen. We, whose names are underwritten, the Loyal Subjects of our dread Sovereign Lord, King James, by the Grace of God, of England, France, and Ireland, King, Defender of the Faith, e&.
Having undertaken for the Glory of God, and Advancement of the Christian Faith, and the Honour of our King and Country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia; do by these presents, solemnly and mutually in the presence of God and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick, for our better Ordering and Preservation, and Furtherance of the Ends aforesaid; and by Virtue hereof to enact, constitute, and frame, such just and equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Constitutions and Offices, from time to time, as shall be thought most meet and convenient for the General good of the Colony; unto which we promise all due submission and obedience.
In witness shereof we have hereunto subscribed our names at Cape Cod the eleventh of November, in the Reign of our Sovereign Lord, King James of England, France and Ireland, the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini, 1620.
The English crown never assigned them a formal charter, and the Mayflower Compact continued to serve as the basis of government until the colony was merged into the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1691; 71 years later.
It's been said over and over, ad nauseum, that our nation was never founded as a Christian nation. If you'll look at our documents, and the acts of those who gave us birth, it will be readily apparent that in each, Christianity is the foundation upon which this nation was formed.
The first act of the Pilgrims upon debarkation was to hold a prayer service; then began the quick assembling of shelters from the harsh winter weather that was already upon them.
To say that their time set aside to give thanks to God was the first Thanksgiving in America would be erroneous. The Europeans, under the leadership of Coronado, in 1541, set aside a time in the Palo Duro Canyon, to thank and praise God for guiding them safely on their journeys. In 1564, the French Huguenot Colonists set aside time for a formal Thanksgiving at St. Augustine, Florida, the oldest continuous settlement in America. In 1607 at Cape Henry, Virginia, the Jamestown settlers also stopped all labor for a time of formal recognition to God, who had guided them safely there.
Nearly half of the Pilgrims in Plymouth died that winter. With the coming of spring, those who were able bodied gathered to assess their next move, and to get on with the building of homes and gathering places.
They were shocked when an Indian approached them, and in English, introduced himself as Samoset. He had learned the language from fishermen and traders. Later, Samoset brought with him Squanto, who moved in with the Pilgrims, accepted their faith, and taught them how to farm in this strange land. It's Squanto who is largely responsible for the prosperous survival of the remaining people of that colony.
Still persevering in prayer, and dedicated to their original purpose of serving God, they followed Squanto's lead, and reaped a bountiful harvest that year. As Edward Winslow stated, "God be praised, we had a good increase of corn. By the goodness of God, we are far from want." Winslow would later become Governor of the colony.
In December, 1621, they declared a three-day feast, to thank God, and to celebrate their bounty with their Indian friends. This is America's first official Thanksgiving Festival.
While the Pilgrims enjoyed prosperity, for which they thanked God, they also suffered extreme hardships. In 1623, a drought brought them to their knees. Knowing that without rain, and soon, there would be no harvest, and they'd be facing another winter of starvation and death. Governor Bradford gathered them, reminding them that God was still Sovereign, and together they prayed and fasted, seeking God's direct intervention. All this under a brassy hot sky, on earth as hard as pottery.
Shortly after their prayers, and much to the astonishment of the watching Indians, clouds appeared in the sky, and a gentle, steady rain began to fall.
In the words of Governor Bradford, "It came without either wind or thunder or any violence, and by degrees in abundance, as that ye earth was thoroughly wet and soaked therewith, which did so apparently revive and quicken ye decayed corn and other fruits as was wonderful to see, and made ye Indians astonished to behold; and afterwards the Lord sent them such seasonable showers, with interchange of fair warm weather as, through His blessing, caused a fruitful and liberal harvest, to their no small comfort and rejoicing."
The drought had been broken, and they reaped a bountiful harvest that year. The Pilgrims' time of prayer and fasting spread to other colonies. In New England, the colonies had a tradition of stopping for a day of prayer and fasting in the spring, and again in the fall.
America's first national Thanksgiving was proclaimed in 1789, with the beginnings of the federal government. According to the Congressional Record for September 25 of that year, the first act after the framing of the Bill of Rights occurred as follows:
Mr. [Elias] Boudinot said he could not think of letting the session pass without offering an opportunity to all the citizens of the United States of joining with one voice in returning to Almighty God their sincere thanks for the many blessings He had poured down upon them. With this view, therefore, he would move the following resolution:
Resolved, That a joint committee of both Houses be directed to wait upon the President of the United States to request that he would recommend to the people of the United States a Day of Public Thanksgiving and Prayer. . . .
Mr. Roger Sherman justified the practice of thanksgiving on any single event not only as a laudable one in itself but also as warranted by a number of precedents in Holy Writ. . . . This example he thought worthy of a Christian imitation on the present occasion.
That congressional resolution was delivered to President George Washington, who heartily concurred with the request and issued the first federal Thanksgiving proclamation, declaring in part:
Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor. . . . Now, therefore, I do appoint Thursday, the 26th day of November 1789 . . . that we may all unite to render unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection.
That same year, the Protestant Episcopal Church (of which President Washington was a member) announced that the first Thursday in November would become its regular day for giving thanks, "unless another day be appointed by the civil authorities." Following President Washington's initial proclamation, national Thanksgiving Proclamations occurred only sporadically (another by President Washington in 1795, one by John Adams in 1799, one by James Madison in 1814 and again in 1815, etc.); most official Thanksgiving observances occurred at the state level. In fact, by 1815, the various state governments had issued at least 1,400 official prayer proclamations, almost half for times of thanksgiving and prayer and the other half for times of fasting and prayer.
(taken from http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=17984)
