In the Market with Janet Parshall Hour 1: The Pilgrim Chronicles
Nov 28, 2025
Rod Gragg is an award-winning historian and author focused on American history, currently directing the Crescom Bank Center for Military and Veterans Studies. In this engaging discussion, he explores lesser-known facts about the Pilgrims, their faith-driven departure to America, and the dynamics of their first Thanksgiving. Gragg debunks the bleak Puritan stereotype, highlighting their joy and strong family values. He also sheds light on the Mayflower's perilous journey and the Pilgrims' lasting influence on American institutions and values.
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Eyewitnesses Drive True Understanding
- Rod Gragg uses pilgrims' own words to reconstruct their story and context before and after arriving in America.
- Eyewitness accounts reveal motivations, risks, and daily realities that summaries often miss.
Reformation Made England A Church Nation
- The English Reformation and Puritan movement reshaped English society and made the nation 'a church.'
- Separatists wanted autonomous local churches and faced legal persecution for rejecting the state church model.
Religious Freedom Can Fracture Identity
- Holland offered religious freedom but also cultural permissiveness that worried the Pilgrims about their children's faith.
- That tension motivated their decision to leave Leiden despite Dutch goodwill and tolerance.
