As the Thanksgiving season approaches, it is helpful to revisit the story of the Puritans and the first Thanksgiving without political revisionism. Their journey was not driven by vague ideals of generic freedom but by a concrete desire to worship Yahweh as Scripture commands, rather than according to the demands of the English Crown. Their experience reflects deep theological conviction, profound suffering, and remarkable providence that shaped the early stages of what would eventually become the United States.
Why the Puritans Left England
The Puritans did not view themselves as inventing a new religion. They believed the Church of England had retained too many elements of Roman Catholic practice and that Scripture alone should determine worship and doctrine. Pressure to conform increased under the English monarchs, and ministers who refused to comply were silenced, punished, or exiled. Life in the Netherlands provided some refuge, yet the cultural pressures were strong, and the community was slowly dissolving.
William Bradford described their situation plainly. Their children were being shaped by forces that pulled them away from their faith commitments. He wrote that:
“many of their children… were drawn away by evil examples into dangerous courses, to the great grief of their parents. So they saw they had no way to avoid misery but to get over into America.”
For them, the move was not an adventure but a necessary step to preserve their ability to worship and to pass on their faith.
The Voyage and the Landing at Plymouth
In 1620, the group boarded the Mayflower for the long voyage across the Atlantic. The journey was harsh and filled with storms. When they arrived far north of their intended destination, there was no clear governing authority, so they created the Mayflower Compact, an agreement to establish laws for the good of the community under God.
Their arrival came too late in the year to plant crops. Disease and cold took a heavy toll, and the survivors were left to bury the dead in the frozen ground. Bradford captured the gravity of their suffering when he wrote that they entered a season:
“where now began our greatest labors and sorrows… the living scarce able to bury the dead.”
Their survival through that winter was, in their view, an act of God’s sustaining mercy.
The Condition of the Land Before the Puritans Arrived
The area they settled had once been a Native village called Patuxet. Several years earlier a devastating epidemic had swept through the coastal tribes of New England. The precise illness remains debated, though it was likely leptospirosis or a form of viral hepatitis carried through contaminated water. It most likely entered the region through indirect contact with European fishing vessels that had been visiting the coastline for many decades. The crews of those ships had no understanding of viruses or contagion, and there is no evidence anyone knew they could carry disease across the ocean.
By the time the Puritans arrived, the village was entirely abandoned. Bradford recorded the scene:
“They found the place both void of inhabitants and also the ground very fertile and fit for tillage. For, as they afterwards learned, it had been the seat of a goodly people, but they were all dead.”
In the Native worldview, such a site was often considered spiritually dangerous, so no tribe attempted to reclaim it. The Puritans settled an area where no living community remained.
Providence and the Wampanoag
The following spring brought a moment that the colonists saw as unmistakable providence. A Native man named Samoset entered the settlement and spoke to them in English. He later introduced them to Squanto, who had learned English during his years in Europe after being taken from his homeland. When Squanto returned to Patuxet, he discovered that every member of his people had died in the epidemic. With no tribe to return to, he served as a guide and interpreter.
Squanto taught the Puritans how to plant corn in the unfamiliar soil, how to use fish as fertilizer, and how to work with the seasons of the land. Chief Massasoit of the Wampanoag, weakened by disease and threatened by neighboring powers, entered into a mutual defense treaty with the colonists. The alliance brought relative peace for many years and allowed the settlement to stabilize.
The First Thanksgiving
In the autumn of 1621, the Puritans gathered their first successful harvest. Their survival felt miraculous after the hardships of the previous winter, and they organized a multi-day feast to thank Yahweh for His provision.
The only eyewitness description of the event comes from Edward Winslow. He wrote that “our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together. Many of the Indians came amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king, Massasoit, with some ninety men.” The Wampanoag contributed food to the feast and joined the celebration.
Winslow summarized their gratitude simply when he said that
“by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.”
For the Puritans, the feast was not a political moment or a symbol of triumph. It was a humble act of thanksgiving to God who had sustained them.
The Theological Heart of the Puritan Experience
The Puritans interpreted their journey through a biblical lens. They believed Yahweh had preserved them through hardship and had given them a place where they could worship without interference. Their writings show that they viewed themselves as a covenant community living out obedience to God in a world of uncertainty. They understood their survival as an expression of divine providence rather than human achievement.
Conclusion
The story of the Puritans and the first Thanksgiving is a story of hardship, faith, providence, and gratitude. When the political noise is stripped away, the narrative becomes a testimony to perseverance and sincere trust in Yahweh. Their writing, preserved in the journals of Bradford and Winslow, reveals a people who endured unimaginable suffering yet responded with thanksgiving. Their example invites reflection on how gratitude shapes the life of God’s people even in the midst of difficulty.
Discussion Questions
- How did the Puritans’ desire to worship Yahweh according to Scripture shape their decision to leave England, and how does this motive challenge modern assumptions about their journey?
- In what ways did the epidemic that devastated Patuxet create both tragedy and opportunity for the Puritans, and how does recognizing this context change how we understand their arrival?
- How does Squanto’s story illustrate the theme of providence, and why was his presence so critical for the survival of the Plymouth colony?
- What elements of the first Thanksgiving demonstrate genuine gratitude and dependence on God rather than triumph or conquest, and how might this reshape how we celebrate today?
- How did the Puritans interpret their survival and first harvest theologically, and what can their posture of thanksgiving teach modern believers about trusting Yahweh in seasons of uncertainty?
Want to Know More
- David D. Hall, A Reforming People: Puritanism and the Transformation of Public Life in New England
Hall provides a clear historical and theological picture of Puritan ideals and how they shaped early colonial life. His work helps readers understand the motivations, worldview, and devotional commitments of the Puritans without romanticizing them. - Francis J. Bremer, Puritans: A Very Short Introduction
Bremer is one of the most respected scholars on Puritan history. This concise volume gives a reliable overview of Puritan belief, migration, and daily life, including the tensions that shaped their departure from England. - Nicholas Guyatt, Providence and the Invention of the United States, 1607–1876
Guyatt’s work traces how early American colonists interpreted events through the lens of divine providence. The sections on Plymouth help contextualize how the Puritans viewed their survival and first harvest. - Nathaniel Philbrick, Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War
Philbrick’s well-researched narrative provides a detailed account of the voyage, the abandoned Patuxet site, the epidemic that preceded settlement, and the early decades of interaction between the Puritans and the Wampanoag. - Jeremy Bangs, Strangers and Pilgrims, Travellers and Sojourners: Leiden and the Foundations of Plymouth Plantation
Bangs draws extensively from primary sources to explain why the Puritans left England, what they experienced in the Netherlands, and how this shaped the founding of Plymouth. It is one of the most authoritative works on the subject.
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