The Truth About the Pilgrims - Read the Book

"Being thus arived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees & blessed ye God of heaven, who had brought them over ye vast & furious ocean, and delivered them from all ye periles & miseries therof, againe to set their feete on ye firme and stable earth, their proper elemente."

Want to know the truth about the Pilgrims? Lots of pundits will be commenting on that in the days leading up to Thanksgiving, and plenty of what they say will be wrong. Why? Ignorance, mostly.

But don't take my word for it. Thanks to the generosity of the Internet. we have links to two books from which comes most of our genuine knowledge about the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony (now Massachusetts).

The first original source document, Of Plymouth Plantation, by William Bradford. you can read or download by clicking here.

The second original source document is Mourt's Relation which you can access two versions online: Mourt's relation #1 Mourt's Relation #2 This book was written between November 1620 and November 1621 by Pilgrim Edward Winslow with the help of Pilgrim William Bradford. Printed and sold in London in 1622 by George Morton, it was Morton who gave it the name.

If you do a little reading, I think you'll find those Pilgrims a likeable, courageous, and principled folk, but rather than telling you about them--except for the delight in finally enjoying a bit of beer at the new world--I'll let you discover for yourself these exemplary people.

If you're just seeking something shorter written in today's English, you might enjoy this article from historynet.com. Or, if you're pressed for time, here's a site with a few quick quotes.

Note: Yes, I know the picture above isn't one of William Bradford, it's Edward Winslow. There was a real shortage of painters in those days, so that one will have to do.

Note: In honor of Thanksgiving, we have several posts on the Pilgrims which you might like. You can view them all at Wilmette.blogspot.com by clicking here.