The Pilgrims arrived in 1620 on ground that had once belonged to the Patuxets — a tribe wiped out by disease during the very years Squanto was away, having been kidnapped, sold into slavery in Spain, rescued by friars, taken to London, and, by a series of remarkable turns, returned home after a decade abroad. Had he not been taken, he would almost certainly have died with the rest of his people. Instead, he was uniquely prepared — linguistically, culturally, and spiritually — for a role he could never have imagined.
And so, in the desperate spring of 1621, as the Pilgrims mourned their dead and questioned whether God had abandoned them, Squanto walked out of the forest speaking perfect English (yes, really!). Squanto knew the land, the seasons, the crops, the waters, the other tribes — everything the Pilgrims needed to learn about in order to survive. He lived among them and taught them how to live off the land. No one disputes that Squanto’s advent among the Pilgrims changed everything, making it possible for them to stay and thrive.
So the question is: Can all of this have been sheer happenstance, as most versions of the story would have us believe? The Pilgrims hardly thought so. To them, Squanto was a living answer to their tearful prayers, an outrageous miracle of God. Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford declared in his journal that Squanto “became a special instrument sent of God” who didn’t leave them “till he died.” This is a story that must be shared far and wide. I hope you share it at your Thanksgiving tables today!
And so, in the desperate spring of 1621, as the Pilgrims mourned their dead and questioned whether God had abandoned them, Squanto walked out of the forest speaking perfect English (yes, really!). Squanto knew the land, the seasons, the crops, the waters, the other tribes — everything the Pilgrims needed to learn about in order to survive. He lived among them and taught them how to live off the land. No one disputes that Squanto’s advent among the Pilgrims changed everything, making it possible for them to stay and thrive.
So the question is: Can all of this have been sheer happenstance, as most versions of the story would have us believe? The Pilgrims hardly thought so. To them, Squanto was a living answer to their tearful prayers, an outrageous miracle of God. Plymouth Colony Governor William Bradford declared in his journal that Squanto “became a special instrument sent of God” who didn’t leave them “till he died.” This is a story that must be shared far and wide. I hope you share it at your Thanksgiving tables today!
https://x.com/ericmetaxas/status/1993857790679650742
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