America’s True History of Religious Tolerance ... More than half a century before the Mayflower set sail, French pilgrims had come to America in search of religious freedom.

Pilgrims: Giving Thanks Our American Thanksgiving national holiday came about from these early feasts.

Why Did the Pilgrims Come to America?

Religious Holidays: The Pilgrims observed the commandment to "Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy," (Exodus 20:8, KJV) yet they did not observe Christmas and Easter since they believed those religious holidays were invented by man and were not celebrated as holy days in the Bible. Many of the Pilgrims were part of a religious group called Separatists. To say that the Pilgrims came “in search of” religious freedom is misleading, however, in that it implies that they lacked such liberty in Holland. Pilgrim Fathers Origins, a website celebrating the origins of the Pilgrim Fathers. Many people being to wonder around Thanksgiving time why the pilgrims came to America. Pilgrim Hall, America's oldest continuously-operating museum with the country's largest and most significant collection of 17th century possessions, their wills and estate inventories, owned by the Pilgrims and other residents of Plymouth Colony. Any particular pilgrims? On November 11, 1620 , on present-day Provincetown, Massachusetts, at the tip of Cape Cod. The Pilgrims were a group of approximately 100 people who in 1620 sailed on the Mayflower ship to North America, known then as the New World from England; they were seeking freedom from religious oppression. The Pilgrims in America came directly from the Netherlands. The ones in The Canterbury Tales gathered at an Inn in Southwark, but probably came from all over the South East of England. Remember that the Pilgrims did not come to America directly from England. The difference was that the pilgrims were a sect within the puritan movement that had essentially given up on the idea that the Church of England could be reformed and wanted to completely separate from it. By the beginning of the 20th century, the Pilgrims and the Thanksgiving holiday were used to teach children about American freedom and how to be good citizens. They were called this because they wanted to "separate" from the Church of England and worship God in their own way. In a quest to find religious tolerance and escape the harsh economic conditions of a drifting life, the 'pilgrims' or English settlers sort refuge in 'New England' to begin a new life. The belief that the Pilgrims came to America in search of religious freedom is inspiring, but it’s just not so. Typically, this is a physical journey (often on foot) to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system. Why did the Pilgrims travel to America? Pilgrim Fathers, in American colonial history, settlers of Plymouth, Massachusetts, the first permanent colony in New England (1620). The Pilgrims and Israelites had much in common. However, many of the Pilgrims did not agree with the practices and beliefs of the Church of England and they were labeled as puritans … After 1890, representations of the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag began to reflect a shift of interest to the 1621 harvest celebration. The night before the Pilgrims departed was spent praying in front of the church, now known as the Pilgrim Fathers Church. They both escaped religious persecution and bondage by going to new lands and were blessed by God.