You may have heard of the expression “Pilgrim parents”, which refers to the colonization or “foundation” of the United States of America. Well, these "parents" (pilgrimfathers, in the original, in English) are not exactly founders of the USA, in the sense that they got there first and started, “out of nowhere”, colonization. Nor are the so-called "Founding Fathers" alluding to the expression Foundingfathers (Founding Fathers), formulated by the former US President, Warren Harding, to refer to the signatories of Independence.
The "pilgrim fathers" are those who left England, due to the political upheaval unleashed by the RemodelingProtestant, and settled in the northeast of the USA with the clear intention of populating it. The importance that the “pilgrim fathers” received is due, in large part, to the form of social organization they undertook in the northeastern region of the USA, or rather, in the colony of NewEngland, one of thirteencolonies which became the “foundation” of American society.
These “pilgrim fathers” settled in the strip of land that is now known as the state of Massachusetts, having come from England aboard the ship. Mayflower (May's flower). The crew of Mayflower they were Puritans (British Calvinists) who were fleeing from the climate of war and persecution established in England at the beginning of the 17th century. Before them, however, the US coast had already received several contingents of people of various hues.
They arrived on the American coast in 1620 and, even before disembarking, formulated a set of rules to be followed when settling in New England. These rules became known as the Mayflowercompact. The pilgrims on the Mayflower ship thought they were predestined by God to occupy the lands of the “new world” and prosper there. The weight of the Protestant Puritan doctrine was decisive for this conception.
Despite the difficulties at the beginning of the enterprise, a year later, in 1621, the “pilgrim fathers” had their first harvest of the grains that were planted in the year of their arrival. After the harvest, they had a feast with food in the month of October. This party was known as Morninginactioninthanks (Thanksgivingday, in English) and to this day it is celebrated in the United States and Canada every Monday of the second week of October.
*Image credits: Shutterstock and chrisdorney
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