Pastor Sam Crosby, First Baptist Church of San Saba
Last Saturday, November 21, marked the 400th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower and the signing of the Mayflower Compact, which happened in 1620. An editorial by Senator Tom Cotton flagged this significant event along with posing the question as to why the day went by virtually unmentioned. No speeches. No parades. No remarks.
He reminded the public that on the 200th anniversary of this event, Daniel Webster gave a speech honoring the “pilgrim fathers” and recognizing their tenacity, endurance and sacrifice. On the 300th anniversary, Calvin Coolidge, who was serving as governor of Massachusetts, and who was the president-elect of the United States, gave a speech with a similar theme. But on the 400th anniversary – crickets.
While I consider myself a relatively young man, I have lived long enough to watch historic revisionists basically question the faith, sacrifice and purpose of the original pilgrims. The facts I learned in elementary school have all but vanished from current history and simply are not politically correct. The importance of the pilgrims seems to be waning.
Cotton’s editorial prompted a search of History.com to read more about the pilgrim landing. Curiously, their “Today On This Date” link made no mention of the event. It mentioned that Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877; that men flew over Paris in a hot air balloon in 1783; and that the movie, “Rocky,” debuted in 1976. The number one memory for November 21, though, was that the television drama, Dallas, aired the episode, “Who Shot J.R.?” in 1980. They allege 350 million people across the globe tuned in to the greatest television cliffhanger up to that point. But there was no mention of the pilgrim fathers and their harrowing journey across the Atlantic to the New World for religious freedom.
The lack of interest in the pilgrim’s landing might rest in their stated purpose. Upon landing, they formed what has become known as “The Mayflower Compact.” This document was intended to keep unity in the colony and help preserve the common goal for which the journey was made. It stated in part, “Having undertaken, for the glory of God, and the advancement of the Christian faith, and the honor of our king and country, a voyage to plant the first colony in the northern parts of Virginia…”
Their voyage and stated purpose for coming the New World was for the glory of God and the advancement of the Christian faith. Our forefathers, the pilgrims, risked life and limb to plant a colony in America so God would be glorified and the Christian faith would spread to a new continent. That is the legacy they left us. They wrote it down and signed the document to remind themselves and their posterity. It was the following year, 1621, when they held the first Thanksgiving feast as a way to express their gratitude to God!
Remember who you are, America. Remember those who came before us. Never forget the legacy of our pilgrim fathers.