Pilgrims’
– By Ben Everitt, Ivins, UT –
Thanks for reprinting the article on “Pilgrims”.
At the risk of sounding elitist, I would like to add some thoughts to the discussion.
Yes, the pilgrims’ story is mythology, but it is not baloney; it is a brief recounting of a historical event to emphasize the foundational philosophy of what became a part of the United States and to hold up the good things that can happen when people extend a hand of friendship and work together. The behavior of those refugees from a despotic regime, saved by the indigenous people, stands in stark contrast to some other episodes of colonization.
On our side of the continent, in 1598, Juan de Onate brought a company of immigrants, many also fleeing religious persecution, to New Mexico. Their experience did not go so well. The Spanish practice of transplanting European feudalism to the Americas turned out so badly for the indigenous New Mexicans that within a few years the King removed Onate from his governorship. He was convicted of what we now call “crimes against humanity” and eventually returned home to Spain. The indigenous people later revolted and drove the Spanish out.
So when you sit down to dinner on Thanksgiving, take a minute to say a prayer of thanks to the Pilgrims, and for the Christian doctrine of social justice; and promise to do better at extending kindness to the refugees who wash up on your shore in leaky boats.
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