Thanksgiving is by all accounts, a traditional American holiday. Just saying the word “Thanksgiving” evokes images of family, football and of course, food. You can almost taste the roasted turkey, cornbread stuffing and pumpkin pie. Ask anyone about the origins of Thanksgiving, and you’re likely to hear a story about how the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians sat down for a feast to thank God for their blessings. That’s true. It did happen, once. But there is so much more to the real Thanksgiving story that many Americans are missing.
How much do you know about the REAL Pilgrims…
History books tell us that the Pilgrims left England on quest to find a “new world” where they would find the freedom to practice their religion in the ways they saw fit. But, as modern Americans, do we really fully understand why they felt it was necessary to leave England?
Can we fathom the intense persecution that caused them to flee? Quite honestly, have we ever stopped to think maybe someone was chasing them out of England, rather than the storybook tales we’ve heard so often?
Bill Heid, founder of Off The Grid News, set out on a quest to learn more about the lineage of the early Christian pilgrims. Just who were these Pilgrims, and what made them pack up and move so away from their homes? To answer his questions, Heid traveled to England. There he met with Sue Allan, author of Steps Along The Pilgrim Trail. Allan is one of the leading historians of the Pilgrims. In fact, she’s known as the “walking and talking encyclopedia of all things Pilgrim.” You may recognize Allan – she was also featured on Kurt Cameron’s film Monumental. While her time on-camera in the Monumental film was limited, Heid’s interview with her spans well over an hour.
This video, The Real Pilgrim Story, an interview with Sue Allan, is our Thanksgiving gift to you, readers of Off The Grid News. It truly is an off-the-grid look at who the Pilgrims were – and weren’t – and how America got her Christian roots.
Awaken Your Child’s Love of Learning, History And Adventure!
This isn’t just another Thanksgiving story…or a boring history video…
In The Real Pilgrim Story, you’ll discover all sorts of new and exciting information about the Pilgrims and the religious persecution they faced in England. (In fact, some of it might just make you question that history book you read back in school!) Find out new details about their lives, the Mayflower Compact, and more. You’ll learn about the Scrooby Separatists, John Smyth, William Brewster, and William Bradford, just to name a few.
Other fun topics covered in this video:
- Learn what the word “passport” really means and why it was so important to the Pilgrims.
- Discover answers to difficult questions like, Who financed the Pilgrims’ journey? (Hint: We don’t really know! But there are some interesting theories…)
- Who was Lady Rose Hickman? She might have been the most important player in the Pilgrims’ journey before it even began.
- Visit Gainsborough Hall and see how the Pilgrims were able to live and worship in a “protected underground” network.
- Visit historic St. Wilfrid’s Church in Scrooby, England.
- Discover where the saying “gone to the wall” originated and why!
- Travel the Great North Road and visit the remnants of the once-glorious Scrooby Manor where King Henry and other Royals stayed.
- Visit St. Helena Church – one of the most humble and intimate worship houses that’s over 1,000 years old.
- Tour the church and view the exact baptismal font where William Bradford, governor of Plymouth Colony and author of Of Plymouth Plantation, was baptized.
- See William Bradford and the history of the Mayflower Compact etched forever in stained glass.
- Visit William Bradford’s Childhood Homestead.
- Learn why the Pilgrims’ story isn’t just an American story. Did you know that the British are quite proud of the Pilgrims too?
And much more…
This video, The Real Pilgrim Story is free. There are no gimmicks and there is nothing to buy. We hope that you will watch it and share it with others. It’s our way of helping Americans recapture a piece of the real American spirit…the Pilgrim spirit. Our nation has distanced itself from our roots for so long that we’ve almost forgotten where we came from. It’s time to rediscover true history and separate fact from fiction.
Watch the video here.