Centuries before America was actually founded, it had been explored by those who were searching for gold. These people were explorers, but maybe a better word for them would be 'Adventurers'.
There are two ways that people take over a land and build their own communities. One way, the most common way, is by conquest. The other way is by being industrious and working hard at the tasks God has given us to do, and by using the skills and talents He has provided.
Conquering other people groups is very selfish. People use their strength and terror to conquer others and take over their lands in order to build their own kingdoms. But this is not God's way of building a land. Although many tried to conquer America through the years, no one actually was successful in doing this.
Out of all the people groups who came to America, for whatever reason, it was the Pilgrims who began the roll of establishing a society, not based upon conquest, but build upon hard work. The work was done to provide for families, but also as a service for others. Other groups came in, some to conquer and others to escape the oppressive government which restricted their religious freedoms and beliefs.
When the Pilgrims came over, they made up half of the group of people who were aboard the Mayflower. The other group was known as the 'Adventurers'. The Adventurers and the Pilgrims did not get along well while together on the ship, but they all made it to the New World. Both groups had a different standard for life. After all the hardships of the rough voyage, and landing in the New World, no one wanted to go back to England.
The Pilgrims (or Strangers, as they were called) had great faith in God. They lived their lives in such a way that represented God well. But the Adventurers were here to explore and find gold. Over time, the Pilgrims settled in, and during the first winter, because of the cold, at least half of the Pilgrims died. But they continued to work together to build a community made from a good work ethic. They were not here to find gold or to conquer other people. But, even among the good, there is always some bad.
Other groups came to America, some to find gold and to conquer, others to live peaceably in the community they would build by doing hard work. Hard work is a good thing for people to do. Today, we are afraid of hard work because we have been trained to make life as easy and as comfortable as we can. We don't have a vision for the future. We don't even have a vision for tomorrow. Having a vision for the future is like having an eternal perspective. Whatever we do today, will affect many things down the road. The Pilgrims knew this and that is how they lived.
Another group that came in was the Puritans. They also had a deep faith in God and the Bible. They had a high standard of living, meaning that they strove to stay on the narrow path. Their work ethic, like the Pilgrims, was also very good. They built their communities, and they even built each other's houses! They worked the land and developed whatever careers were available back then. One of them, David Brainerd, took it upon himself to translate the Bible in the language of the Indians (native Americans) that were around him. He loved the Native Americans and they knew it. David Brainerd died from tuberculosis while praying. He was only 28, I think.
We have a group which came over in 1607 and settled Jamestown. Although these people, to my knowledge, were not Christians, they had a good work ethic. There were also some 'Gentlemen' from England who came over for exploration of gold, and were not trained on how to do farming or any of the necessary things that were needed for survival. John Smith got angry with them and made them work! John Smith quoted the Bible where it says, 'Whoever does not work, shall not eat'.
Our Founding Fathers actually did not approve of slavery or conquest. The Constitution guarantees equality among all people. Slavery began in Europe and came to America as people started coming over to the New World. On the one hand, we had revivals in America, when people like George Whitefield came over to America to preach. Jonathan Edwards had a big impact as well in the Northeast. America was a free country to anyone who wanted to come in, but that was not without risk.
People who worked hard and had a vision to build a society based upon good work ethics lived throughout this land. But, those who owned slaves and who were mean to Indians also were coming into this land. On top of that, England was trying to make America become one of its colonies. Up to this point, really no one controlled America, for it was not a country yet. It was an area of land which was becoming inhabited by a variety of people, some good, some bad.
With all the pressures from England, some of the key people in America decided to unite together to form a strong community that would protect itself from being claimed by England. It all came to a head when the American Revolution took place. Young men, farmers, dads, businessmen all made themselves ready to fight if necessary, in a minute's notice. So, if the call for battle came at 4am, they would be ready to fight in an instant. That is what happened in the American Revolution, and that is why our country is not under England's rule today. After the War, men rose up to create a Constitution by which the people in this country would live by. The rules are very fair, and there are many references to God.
No one came in and conquered America. That is not why we are a nation today. People came to build a safe community for their families and loved ones. The Early Americans bargained with the Indians rather than stealing from them. Yes, there were those who treated the Indians unfairly. There were those who brought slaves over. There were those who sold liquor illegally and those who were violent. But those people were not the ones who founded our country.
Our Forefathers fought for us so that we could live in a land of freedom. Not a land where our freedoms hurt other people though. We are not free to kill people if we don't like them, nor do we have a right to steal. The laws of the land are made to protect us from being harmed by others.
Although we do not really know if our Forefathers were truly Christians, we do know that they feared and respected God and His word. They were fully aware that if we remove God from our lives, we are doomed. They were not perfect examples of people who loved God, but they did respect Him, and they did base this country on the principles out of God's word.
America was not founded on conquest. Conquerors came and went. Our Forefathers were not conquerors, despite the fact that certain authority figures, such as our current president, would like you to believe. Unfortunately, there are several college professors who would teach that America was founded by conquest and America deserves to be punished for it. While it is true that bad people were living in America, before America became America, they did not found our nation. They deserve to be punished, and if they escaped punishment while they were alive, they certainly will be facing a harsh judgment on That Day.
America really is one of the few nations that has been built, not out of conquest, but on good work ethics. But our nation is slowly eroding due to the fact that the Bible is being removed from the government and all governmental places, and people are proudly defying God in our governmental platforms. This is scary because it will bring about God's anger on our nation. No longer will we be prosperous due to hard work and God's blessing on work, but we will be a nation that will no longer have all the nice things we have today. Life will become difficult, and we are in danger of being added to the number of Third World countries pretty soon.
Will God protect us if a plague breaks out? How about if the stock market crashes? We laugh at God today, but He can turn all that around in a moment and laugh at us by taking away everything we have, and all that our Forefathers have worked so hard for us to have. Yes, we are laughing now and thinking we are defying God, but the tables will soon be turned and God will pull the rug out from underneath us if we don't repent and turn away from our arrogance.
If our Forefathers were alive today, they would be turning over in their graves. (They are alive today, but whether they can see what is happening in America or not, is unknown to us). They fought for freedom, not for conquering. The fought because life is beautiful and a gift from God. They weren't out to take anyone else's life away from them.
Why would God protect us from the tyranny of Islam? Are you ready to be forced to say, "There is no god but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet" or to have your head chopped off? If you reject God today, there will be no help for you tomorrow when the time of severe difficulties come.
