Wednesday of Thanksgiving Week

Wednesday of Thanksgiving Week

https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/jamestown 

I wanted to do an alternative view of the Pilgrims.

First, we seem to celebrate the Pilgrims more than the Jamestown settlement (in 1607) or even St. Augustine Florida in 1656

Jamestown did have a rocky start like the Plymouth colony.  Health issues plagued the new world until they realized that good water is necessary, that houses have to be strong, and solid, that some basic infrastructure needs to exist.

But, additional settlers did arrive in Jamestown and it expanded.  In 1619, the first shipment of black slaves from Africa arrived in Jamestown.  Successful tobacco growing (using seeds from the West Indies) made Jamestown profitable.

On the other side of the world, Great Britain had established the British East Indian Company in 1600.

Britain - with The British East Indian Company and the Jamestown Company was looking at business and profits - trying to mimic the success of the Spanish presence in Central and South American.  

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So, along comes the Pilgrims.  

This was not a business activity, but one based on philosophy.  The Pilgrims were a separatist religious group that was somewhat thrown out of England and they were living in the Netherlands.  

England had been a Catholic country (as was all of Europe) up to the Reformation.  When Henry VIII wanted to divorce and remarry in order to have an heir, it caused a religious division in England and the founding of the Church of England.  The pilgrims seemingly were opposed to some of the doctrine and organization of the Church of England as a ‘state church’.  Some groups (like the ‘cousin’ group of Puritans) were still technically part of the Church of England, and to keep the peace remained members. 

“Before ever setting foot in North America, the Pilgrims spent several years living in Holland. Led by William Brewster and John Robinson, the group initially fled to Amsterdam in 1608 to escape religious persecution for holding clandestine services that were not sanctioned by the Church of England. The Pilgrims were religious nonconformists—Calvinist dissidents who disliked the hierarchical authority of the Anglican Church and sought a more democratic and direct religious experience. Life in Amsterdam offered the group the freedom to worship as they liked, but there the congregation quickly became embroiled in theological disputes and scandals with other separatists. This prompted many from the Scrooby [English town] congregation to move on to Leiden [Netherlands].”  https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/91317/holland-first-stop-for-the-pilgrims 

But, the Netherlands was a good fit for the Pilgrims - even though they had religious liberties.  There was a language difference, and job preferences went to native Hollanders over the incoming English settler.  

The Pilgrims (seemingly) got permission to go to Virginia and be a part of the Jamestown Colony.  But, without good GPS (global position systems and satellites), they ended up in Massachusetts - and decided to stay.  

An interesting side-story.  Jamestown WAS the first English settlement, but the Plymouth Colony receives more historical recognition.  Seemingly, history gets written (or rewritten) by the winners.  “Plymouth Colony received more prominence than Jamestown partly due to the Civil War. Many abolitionists ignored Jamestown and tried to wipe it out of the history books since Virginia was part of the South.”

And, the idea of a not-for-profit, religious sect wanting to practice their religion in peace seems to be more attractive to the American ideal than a for-profit company in Virginia.  We like to cheer for the underdogs - and the Pilgrims were really underdogs in this case.

“Mayflower arrived in New England on November 11, 1620, after a voyage of 66 days. Although the Pilgrims had originally intended to settle near the Hudson River in New York, dangerous shoals and poor winds forced the ship to seek shelter at Cape Cod. Because it was so late in the year and travel around Cape Cod was proving difficult, the passengers decided not to sail further and to remain in New England.” (** 400 years ago from 2020)

From history, we understand that that first winter was devastating to the newly arrived colonists.  The Mayflower arrived with 102 people, but after that first winter, they were down to 52 people.  Again, we like the underdog story.  

“In the fall of 1621, the colonists marked their first harvest with a three-day celebration. Massasoit and 90 of his men joined the English for feasting and entertainment. In the 1800s this famous celebration became the basis for the story of the First Thanksgiving.”

Over the next six years, more English colonists arrived and many of the people who had to stay behind in England or Holland when the Mayflower left England were able to join their families. By 1627, Plymouth Colony was stable and comfortable. Harvests were good and families were growing. In 1627, about 160 people lived in Plymouth Colony.”

(https://www.plimoth.org/learn/just-kids/homework-help/who-were-pilgrims )

And, in time, this came the foundation of a holiday known as Thanksgiving!!!  

Were they seeking asylum from persecution? To a degree.  They had left England for freedom of religion in The Netherlands - and again left The Netherlands for the new world to have a fresh start.  

(Aside, recently my friend Rita invited me to watch the Waco/Branch Davidians documentary.  They wanted freedom of religion.  But, some of their practices were offensive to the general public.  What if the Branch Davidians took a small boat to a deserted island and had their own culture and place there? Would they be extolled as seeking asylum from persecution?)

So, let’s be thankful for our safe journey through 2020.  Maybe like the Pilgrims fighting the cold elements of a New England winter, we have been fighting the elements of COVID.  The Pilgrims lost a good number of their group to sickness and disease, we have lost a good number of our “group” because of sickness and disease.  

But, let’s hope that, like the Pilgrims who went on to be prosperous, we too can get over this pandemic and move on to bigger and better things!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

LOVE WINS!!

HUGS!!!

Karen