America’s First Thanksgiving

America’s First Thanksgiving

Examining the History of Religious Influence in the Founding of the United States

Thanksgiving is the holiday more than any other provides an opportunity for all of us to understand what America is all about spiritually.

Those of us that went to the public schools learned that Christopher Columbus discovered America. What we didn’t learn is a lot of very relevant information about who the man was.

Christopher Columbus was a spirit filed man. He was very familiar with Hebrew Scriptures. We don’t know if he was a Gentile or a Jew.  We don’t know if he was the Italian Catholic or the Spanish Jew. His ethnic background is not the important issue. But rather what is ultimately true for every one of us, was his spiritual condition. 

(For more information on America’s spiritual heritage, Peter Marshall has a book called, “The Light and The Glory” that details America’s spiritual heritage.)

Christopher Columbus said the following: “It was the Lord who put into my mind I could feel his hand upon me the fact that it would be possible to sail from here to the Indies. All who heard of my project rejected it with laughter ridiculing me. There is no question that the inspiration was from the Holy Spirit… I did not make use of intelligence, mathematics or maps. It is simply the fulfillment of what Isaiah had prophesied.”

For a little background, Jews had begun to settle in Portugal and Spain in the 1st century. Spain remained a second Jewish homeland in the 2nd century. The source of Columbus’ motivation was not technology but his Biblical view of the scriptures and his spiritual faith in the Bible. Columbus was more driven by prophecy than astronomy. He compiled a collection of Biblical passages in a book on prophecies.  A few of these verses are the following:

When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep – Proverbs 8:27

It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in – Isaiah 40:22

Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters – Isaiah 43:16

He later would describe his discovery of the new world on the fulfillment on what Isaiah prophesied.

Christopher Columbus’ historic voyage was financed by three wealthy and influential former Jews converted to Christianity.  They offered to finance Columbus’ project and it was accepted. Some scholars believe that these three guys financed Columbus in hopes of finding a new promised land for which they might immigrate to in order to escape the pressure of the church.

Jews in Spain became the target of religious persecution.  Many were forced to renounce Judaism and embrace Catholicism under force. These persecutions are historically known as the Spanish Inquisition. On March 31, 1492 the edict of expulsion was signed. The deadline for all Jews to leave Spain was Aug 3, 1492. It was on the same day, August 3, 1492 Columbus and his crew set out on that voyage to the New World. When Columbus finally touches land, he christens the first land that he discovers and names it San Salvador. San Salvador is translated into meaning Holy Savior. What an interesting name. He prays the following prayer:

“O Lord, eternal and omnipotent God, Thou hast, by Thy holy word, created the heavens, the earth, and the sea; blessed and glorified be Thy name; praised be Thy majesty, who hast deigned that, by means of Thy unworthy servant, Thy sacred name should be acknowledged and made known in this new quarter of the world.”

Just as a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses, Columbus’ greatness does not come from his discovery of America, but because of his relationship of God through Jesus Christ. One of the questions here is, how are you doing??? Where do you stand with regards to the value you put on Jesus Christ?

The Early birth of the Nation- Plymouth Colony – 1621

Squanto (Native American) - became a resource to the English government. He was introduced to the Christian faith. He recognizes that these Englishmen are helpless to the ways of the wild. He taught the Pilgrims how to catch eels, stalk deer, plant pumpkins, and refine maple syrup. Perhaps the most important thing he taught them how to plant corn. The corn was the only reason the Pilgrims were able to survive the winters- it saved every one of their lives.

The pilgrims were grateful people. Governor Bradford declared a day of public Thanksgiving that would be held in October.  The Indians were invited but the crowd of Indians that attended was far more than expected. The initial reaction among the Pilgrims was panic because the huge crowd would wipe them out for the winter. However they all learned that God would provide. However the Indians did not come empty handed; they brought with them deer and wild turkeys. They helped with the preparations. The Indians also taught the pilgrims how to make popcorn. The Pilgrims in turn shared their vegetables from the garden. Carrots, onions cucumbers, radishes, beets, cabbages, etc were all brought by the Pilgrims. Things went so well that the Indians made so sign of leaving. That first thanksgiving dinner was extended an extra three days -sort of like in-laws dropping inJ. The moment that stood out most in the Pilgrim’s memory was the prayer that began the festival.

The whole role of God is so visible in the founding and the discovery in the early days because these were very committed Puritans that laid the ground work for this country.

One of the earliest recorded celebrations occurred a half-century before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth in 1621. A small colony of French Huguenots established a settlement near present-day Jacksonville, Florida. On June 30, 1564, their leader, René de Laudonnière, recorded that:

We sang a psalm of Thanksgiving unto God, beseeching Him that it would please Him to continue His accustomed goodness towards us.

Thanksgiving began as a holy day, created by a community of God-fearing Puritans sincere in their desire to set aside one day each year especially to thank the Lord for His many blessings. The day they chose, coming after the harvest at a time of year when farm work was light, fit the natural rhythm of rural life.

By the end of the 19th century, Thanksgiving Day had become an institution throughout New England. It was officially proclaimed as a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln on October 3, 1863.

President Lincoln said, “No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the most high God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy... I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday in November next as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in heaven.”

Franklin Delano Roosevelt attempted to change the day of celebration of Thanksgiving to the third Thursday in November to, “give more shopping time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.” Congress enacted a compromise and it became the fourth Thursday in November. Ever since this pragmatic and commercial approach to Thanksgiving was promoted, its original meaning has steadily been lost. This holiday that was originally observed to acknowledge the provision of God. Let us also make this national holiday a very special time to thank Him us for His own provision to us and above all to redemption of his Son. Let us also pray he might restore the religious freedoms that those early pilgrims cherished so dearly. And that the current enforced paganism which has invaded our land be curtailed. This country is now becoming what the Pilgrims had risked their lives to free from. 

The Mayflower Compact was the first governing document of Plymouth Colony. It was written by the Pilgrims fleeing from religious persecution by King James of Great Britain. It’s the covenant written by the Pilgrims before they got off the ship. These are the words from that covenant known as the Mayflower Compact (1620):

“IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN….  having undertaken for the Glory of God,  and Advancement of the Christian Faith, … solemnly and mutually, in the Presence of God and one another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil Body Politick.”  

Quotes from our Founding Fathers and influential leaders:

In 1772, Samuel Adams said: "The rights to freedom being the gift of God Almighty, the rights of the Colonists as Christians may best be understood by reading and carefully studying the institutions of The Great Law Giver which are to be found clearly written and promulgated in the New Testament."

In 1777, the first Continental Congress appropriated funds to import for the people 20,000 Holy Bibles as “the great political book of the Patriots.” Can you imagine our government spending money for 20,000 Holy Bibles today?  I didn’t think so either.

In 1776, The Declaration of Independence said: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men. There are two points. First, men’s rights come from God our creator. Our rights are not given to us by government. Second, the purpose of the government is to preserve those rights given to us by God. 

Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair; the event is in the hand of God." - George Washington (1787) Constitutional Convention.

"God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever. – Thomas Jefferson

“I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this Truth — That God governs in the affairs of Men.” - Ben Franklin (1787) Constitutional Convention.  

“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.” – George Washington (1789) Thanksgiving address

“This nation was not founded by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ” – Patrick Henry

The only book that deserves international attention is the Bible. - John Quincy Adams

It is the duty as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for their rulers. - John Jay (1st chief Justice of the United States)

Supreme Ct 1892- Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings of The Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian… These, and many other matters which might be noticed, add a volume of unofficial declarations to the mass of organic utterances that this is a Christian nation.

It is the duty of nations as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions, in humble sorrow, yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon; and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord. – Abraham Lincoln (1861)

The 10 Commandments are of course blazon on the walls of Supreme Court just over the head of chief justices as a symbol for the source for all of our laws, and now they are illegal in our schools. Biblical quotations are allowed on Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Library of Congress and many other buildings, but just not in the public schools.

Court cases that have dramatically changed our nation

These are just some of the court cases in our nation that steady erosion of religious rights imposed by the courts in recent years and its lasting effects.

Engle vs. Vitale (1962)

Landmark United States Supreme Court case that determined that it is unconstitutional for state officials to compose an official school prayer and encourage its recitation in public schools.

Abingdon School District vs. Schempp (1963)

United States Supreme Court case in which the Court declared school-sponsored Bible reading in public schools in the United States to be unconstitutional.

Since Engle vs. Vitale, and Abingdon School District vs. Schempp, decisions in 1962 and 1963, which banned teacher lead prayer and Bible reading in public school, the US Supreme Court has been increasing hostile to faith and of traditional moral values.  

Southern vs. Jubinsky- (1965)

Freedom of Speech and Press is guaranteed to students and unless the topic is religious, and then such speech becomes unconstitutional.

Reed vs. Van Hoven- (1965)

If a student prays at his lunch, it is unconstitutional for the student to pray aloud.

DeSpain vs. Kalb County School District- (1967)

It is unconstitutional for Kindergarten students to recite, “We thank you for the flowers so sweet, we thank you for the food we eat, we thank you for the birds that sing, we thank you for everything”. The word God isn’t even in that, but someone may THINK it’s a prayer.

Lowe v. City of Eugene- (1969)

It is unconstitutional for a war memorial to be erected in the shape of a cross.

It is unconstitutional for students to arrive at school early to hear a student volunteer to read prayers offered by the Chaplains of the US House of Representatives and Senate.

Roe vs. Wade- (1973)

US Supreme Court legalized the killing on unborn babies, resulted in the death of 55 million defenseless infants. Most in 1973 considered abortion to be a violation of every standard of morality and decency. The court disregarded completely the will of the electorate.

State of Ohio vs. Wishner- (1976)

Unconstitutional for the Board of Education to use or refer to the word God in any of its official writings.  

Florey vs. Sioux Falls School District- (1979)

Unconstitutional for a kindergarten class to ask during a school assembly whose birthday is celebrated on Christmas.

Stone vs. Graham- (1980)

US Supreme Court prohibiting public schools from displaying 10 Commandments on their bulletin board, despite these 10 Commandments are on the wall of the Supreme Court building.

Edwards vs. Aguillard- (1987)

US Supreme Court rejected a Louisiana law that required schools that teach evolution to also teach Creation Science. Evolution is a conjecture with no evidence to support it. Creationism is an alternative conjecture. So one is allowed and one is not.

Roberts v. Madigan - (1990)

It is unconstitutional for a public schoolroom library to contain books about Christianity, or for a teacher to be seen with a personal copy of the Bible while at school.

Lee vs. Wiseman- (1992)

US Supreme Court said that public schools officials could not include prayer as a part of a graduation ceremony and cannot specifically select a religious participant to say a prayer during a graduation ceremony.

Romer vs. Evans- (1996)

Struck down the initiative passed by the people of Colorado that would have prohibited the passage of special rights (as opposed to civil rights) to homosexuals. US Supreme Court gave special rights to homosexuals. Justice Kennedy said that homosexuals should receive special rights over everybody else. These homosexuals have given special rights that have succeeded from the electorate. The court trivialized a moral convictions held by Jews and Christians for centuries. The minute you start giving special people special rights, they have seceded from the electorate.

Even those considered to be respected Christians are making anti-Biblical statements. Check this out:

In October 1996, The Pope’s declaration to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences “new knowledge is confirmed that Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution is more than a hypothesis”. He eludes to a growing scientific consensus of evolution. There was a day when the Pope was the social voice on the planet. And here he is joining the voice of this nonsense. This is the Pope saying these things!

We are living in a land where the Federal government is enforcing a form of paganism on the society and on the schools.

 
The United States went from a land where we had religious freedom to a country that denies our religious freedom. Our textbooks have changed over the past 50 years because of political correctness. The end result is an evil and immoral society. Is that any surprise?  We now live in a sinful country and we are seeing the results.

Today in America, the continual up scaling of school budgets has resulted in continually depressing poor performance. We double the amount we spend per student and the results are worse than they ever were. When a country moves towards socialism, the freedoms we were guaranteed 200+ years ago are stripped away.

The American youth have been disenfranchised from their Christian heritage. We now have two-three generations of graduates who have been subjected to the Godless philosophies of our schools. Children from this background are becoming the parents, teachers, political leaders, the main stream media, actors, entertainers, business people, and they are ignorant of the great moral and religious strengths of our country. Therefore they are unable to impart these facts to the next generation. What are the results? One of the most disturbing things about this is the duplicity of our media. Our main stream media takes pride in the ability to form public opinion rather than to inform it. They are prostitutes.

What is the result of government actions removing God from our lives? In just 30 years from the time that the Bible was removed from the public schools, there are a total of 84 indicators that are going the wrong way. The rise of teenage pregnancy up 556%, rise of venereal disease up 226%, family divorced had declined for 15 years prior to 1962-63. It has increased up to triple every year since. SAT scores were stable but the federal government had to change the standards to mask the embarrassing results. The thing that audits them are the homeschoolers. Homeschoolers are always the top 10-20%. Of the homeschoolers within that group, the ones that do the worst are the ones that have state certified parents. We have a moral decay in this country. Bill Clinton, Barack Obama are not the cause of moral decay, they are the symptom and sad consequences of it.

America needs a wake-up call or our time as a world power will be gone. Politicians today need to follow the righteous path of what Jefferson, Washington, Adams, Franklin, Henry, Jay, etc by keeping the inherency of God’s word within our government. We need to move past this secular agenda that was started in the 1960’s, and get back to Christian principles this country was founded upon. The courts and godless politicians continue to destroy the fabric of this country that it was built on. From having Founding Fathers that were obedient to God and a government that supported these principles, to now having a government that is grossly disobedient and erases these God given rights is despicable. The reason this country was founded was because a group of individuals wanted to preserve their rights as Christians and to enjoy religious freedoms. Today not only will our government deny our rights to pray and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but our own President denies to the world that we believe we are a Christian nation. We have time to repent. Nineveh was saved during its last days because of repentance, and I pray the United States will repent as well.