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 Great Britain, France, and Ireland King, Defender of the Faith, etc.

Having undertaken for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and 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 in a Civil Body Politic, 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 whereof we have hereunder subscribed our names at Cape Cod, the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our Sovereign Lord King James, of England, France and Ireland the eighteenth, and of Scotland the fifty-fourth. Anno Domini 1620.

 

“On the afternoon of November 11, 1620, the Pilgrims signed the Mayflower Compact.  This historic moment was the first time that free and equal men had ever entered a covenant to create a new society, based on biblical principles.  One of these principles was that all men are created equal in the sight of God.  A second was that a government must only govern people who agree to submit to it.  These two important principles became the cornerstones of America’s constitutional government.” – L&G

What biblical principles, exactly was this society founded on, and why does it matter?  Is all of Europe, Asia, Africa, South America and others not valued governments and citizens because they aren’t ‘biblical’?  Not to mention the ‘all men are created equal’ part.  History has proven that to be absolutely not true in practice.

“Despite the fact that it rendered slaves 3/5 of a person, the U.S. Constitution is presented as the model document from which to build a flourishing democracy.  However…it has never been against U.S. law to commit genocide against indigenous peoples – in fact, genocide is the law of the country.  The United States could not exist without it.  In the united States, democracy is actually the alibi for genocide – it is the practice that covers up U.S. colonial control over indigenous lands.” – Andrea Smith

From the beginning, the Pilgrims’ concern was for the colonies and the King.  There was no thought given to helping and sustaining the native peoples.  If the first legal document for our country was built on God and King, what happens when those two have different goals?  Who wins?

“To prove to the godly back home, and to themselves, that the decision to leave England had been legitimate, settlers wanted to show what purity they could achieve in America.  But they also wanted to continue to affirm their close connection with England.  This double aim meant colonial leaders trod a fine line.” – Moore

What happens when the general good of the newcomers, of the white newcomers becomes the priority?  When the general good of the people already living there are not considered?  And how does that legacy endure, when through the centuries the general good of white people has been prioritized?  Is God glorified and the Christian faith advanced when other humans are systematically murdered, enslaved, and robbed?  What does a country’s honor mean?  What does it look like?

“The wretched treatment meted out to African Americans, and the wretched treatment meted out to Native Americans, in the minds of most white people is almost separate from the core idea of what America is.  America is this place of democracy, freedom, all these other values, and these other things were sort of just mistakes that happened along the road—as opposed to thinking of those mistakes as things that actually made all those other good things possible.” – Ta-Nehsi Coates

We have to be honest about the founding of our country.  We have our ideals, the principles that sound good in theory.  But white America must look at how the country works on a practical level.  America is not, has never been simply the land of the free and home of the brave.

In our cultural melting pot, we never learned how to taste the individual flavors.  The majority insisted the minority conform or they would be excluded.  The ideals that America was founded on are good ones.  But in order for the ideals to work, we have to look at how and why they’ve failed.  Where has America failed to live up to her promise and who or what is responsible?

If genocide, racism, and exclusion are built into our structures, then how do those structures need to change?  What laws need to be amended?  Whose hearts need to change?  And how hard will the struggle be?  What will need to be given up and by who?

What do the abstract concepts such as colonialism, systemic racism and white privilege look like in the real world?  And do we have the eyes to see?

*thanks to Rod for helping me work through some of this

(All emphasis in quotes are mine)

Part 1 – The First Thanksgiving and the Myth of America
Part 2 – The Myth of America – Columbus, Christ-Bearer
Part 3 – The Myth of America – Jamestown – The Wrong Story To Tell
Part 4 – Pilgrims – God’s Provision at the Expense of Other People
Part 5 – Myth of America – Biased History Lesson
Part 6 – The Mayflower Compact – for God and King and White America
Part 7 – The First Thanksgiving – for a Massacre
Part 8 – The First Thanksgiving – Fears, Power, and Privilege
Part 9 – Colonialism – A History Lesson with Skittles
Part 10 – Myth of the First Thanksgiving – Other Festivals and Thanksgiving
Part 11 – Myth of America – The Clash of Spiritualities
Part 12 – The First Thanksgiving – A Day of Mourning
Part 13 – Resources

Books/Resources

The Light and the Glory for Children (L&G)
Pilgrims: New World Settlers and the Call of Home (Moore)
Mayflower – Philbrick

 
This series is available as a 40 page pdf, giving an introductory look at settler colonialism as it relates to the founding of America.  Discusses Columbus, Jamestown, Pilgrims and Native Americans and includes 4 lessons to teach the topics to kids.
Buy now