The first colony of this land we call The United States of America was settled at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607. The Jamestown Colony was the first permanent British settlement in North America. In August 1619, a pirate ship, the White Lion, stopped at Jamestown and traded 20-some captive Africans for food. The Africans were treated as indentured servants and soon released.
Fifteen months later, in November 1620, the second British Colony in America was settled at Plymouth, Massachusetts. The Plymouth Colony was known as the Pilgrim Fathers, or simply as the Pilgrims.
Both colonies, loyal to England, governed their settlement in different ways. Jamestown was not founded for religious freedom. Their leaders created and enforced martial law, which compared with English Common Law was both strict and harsh. The lack of cooperation amongst the colonists led to tensions and tragedies. The Pilgrim settlement was founded for religious freedom. The Pilgrims were men of great faith. The success of the Pilgrims’ settlement was due to their unwavering, deep Christian faith in God and His provision for them. The pillars of this society were faith, education, law, morality, and liberty. They trusted in God and His unfailing words, written down for us in the Bible. The Pilgrim Colony was not founded on slavery, but on Pilgrim ideals.
Faith
The foundational building block of a society is the faith of the people. True faith emanates from the living Word of God as revealed in the Bible. The founders understood the necessity of building a nation upon the Christian faith and worldview.
Education
The education of our children is the future of our society. Learning begins with Jesus as the cornerstone for our standard of measure and alignment. Parents and teachers are the building blocks that shape the values of our children. The future of a free society is based on what we teach our youth.
Law
A government without Biblical beliefs leads to the manipulation of God’s values in the creation and enforcement of law. It is important that voters elect leaders with Biblical values. Biblical Citizens are important when enforcing the laws of our nation fairly and without bias.
Morality
Morals are standards of behavior or beliefs concerning what is and is not acceptable to do. It is based on the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character. Biblical values in education play a huge role in molding moral values. Humans are a social animal inescapably shaped by cultural context. Biblical learning is essential when forming stable communities of shared values.
Liberty
Liberty is only earned by citizens who are willing to fight for their freedom and religious beliefs. Freedom is a natural desire for every living soul in the world. Free people want to overthrow tyranny and live in a peaceful society. The devil wants to disfigure the image of God in us, to saturate our minds with filth and dirt and moral rot; to wrap us in darkness and lock us forever in the place where there is only weeping and gnashing of teeth. The devil aims to slay everything that is noble and decent and good in our lives. Biblical Citizens must reject the devil to be free.
The Mayflower Compact
As the original version of the Mayflower Compact was lost, the oldest known source in which the text of the document (provided below) can be found is Mourt’s Relation (1622). This is an account of Plymouth’s settlement written by Edward Winslow and William Bradford.
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 honor 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 into 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, 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; Cape Cod, the 11th of November, in the year of the reign of our sovereign lord King James, of England, France and Ireland eighteenth and of Scotland fifty-fourth, Anno Domini 1620.
National Monument to the Forefathers
The National Monument to the Forefathers, formerly known as the Pilgrim Monument, commemorates the Mayflower Pilgrims. Dedicated on August 1, 1889, it honors their ideals as later generally embraced by the United States. It is thought to be the world's largest solid granite monument. View Forefathers monument.
These same Biblical values shaped the Bill of Rights ratified by the United
States of America on December 15, 1791.
