The Early Settlers

“For the battle is the Lord's and he shall deliver you into our hands.” - 1 Samuel 17:47

When the Pilgrims, traveling across the Atlantic on the Mayflower, arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620, they wished to set up a God-centered community. They had left England, primarily to seek the freedom to practice Christianity as they saw fit, and not according to the State-sponsored Anglican Church. They drafted our Nation's first self-governing document, “The Mayflower Compact” in which they wrote:

“Having undertaken, for the Glory of God, and advancements 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 another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic...”

Later, when the Puritans followed the Pilgrims to New England, they would create Bible-centered commonwealths which were based on their church covenants. This blend of compacts and covenants in the many communities which sprang up in the New World would eventually influence the men who drafted our Constitution. These people were fleeing religious prejudice and the tyranny of a monarchy, where they had no say in their own governing. So, the important points to them, would be how to keep any future government which they would create from infringing on the rights and liberties they now enjoyed; rights and liberties given to them by Almighty God.

“And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe - the belief that the rights of man, come not from the generosity of the State, but from the Hand of God.” - John Fitzgerald Kennedy, January 20, 1961

Our Declaration of Independence, the document which shouted to the world the reasons our Founding Fathers wanted to break free from English rule, contains these words:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The phrase “...endowed by their Creator...” meant that these people considered that these fundamental rights were cherished gifts from God, and not given by some earthly king or governing body. Their message was clear, only God could bless the moral correctness of their rebellion. And they believed that God would deliver them even in the face of the King's Soldiers – the most formidable fighting force in their world.

This faith is also summed up by these final words in the Declaration of Independence:

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

These men so believed in the righteousness of their cause and the certainty that God Himself was blessing their endeavors, that they willingly put everything on the line in what must have seemed an impossible cause. And they would maintain that faith through years of struggle and war.

Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think we call the early leaders of our nation the “Founding Fathers”? Talk about what their lives must have been like, and list examples of how you think their faith got them through the tough times of the Revolutionary War.
2. Have you ever had to make a decision to stand for something when the “other side” looked much stronger and impossible to beat? How did you make your decision?
3. Did these early Patriots listen to their own “inner voices”? Do you think they were aware of the quote from Psalm 46:10 - “Be still and know that I am God”?
4. Would you have the courage and faith to start a new life in a “New World”? Have you ever had to move from one town or state to another?

Download the PDF of this page
Previous Page     Next Page