Rick Santorum, former Republican Senator from Pennsylvania, gave a speech recently to a group of young fogeys at a Standing Up For Faith & Freedom Conference hosted by the Young America’s Foundation, a conservative youth organization. He made headlines—and created a backlash—by claiming that
America was birthed from “nothing,” and that “there isn’t much Native American culture in American culture.”*
One particular point he raised (and which has spurred me to action) is that the United States
"was settled predominantly by people who were coming to practice their faith. They came here, because they were not allowed to practice their particular faith in their own country."
“And so they came here, mostly from Europe, and they set up a country that was based on Judeo-Christian principles.”
*
To test Santorum’s claim, I telephoned a man who should have great insight into the Europeans who early on settled in America, Christopher Jones, master of the Mayflower, the ship that brought the Pilgrims to Massachusetts.
*
Us: Hello. Is that Christopher Jones?
Jones: Yes, it is, matey.
Us: Master of the Mayflower?
Jones: Right again, matey.
Us: I hope you won’t mind answering a question or two about your journey from England and the passengers you carried.
Jones: Only happy to. You know I have been waiting for donkey’s ages for some recognition of what we—I mean my crew and me—went through to deliver those passengers safely across the ocean. The history books are filled with noise about Myles Standish and John Alden and William Bradford, but nothing about us.
Us: I’m sorry, Captain Jones, but I also want some information about your passengers, who are known to history as the Pilgrims.
Jones: Well, all right—as long as you mention us seadogs in there somewhere.
Us: Now, the general image of the Pilgrims, as represented in drawings and paintings, is of men dressed in solemn black clothing and wearing big hats. Would you say that is a true representation of the men?
Jones: Absolutely. And the women wore dresses down to their shoe tops.
Us: Aha. Recently, someone said that the settlers were determined to set up a country based on “Judeo-Christian principles.” Now we know that there were Christians aboard the Mayflower, but we here at drnormalvision have wondered whether there were Jews aboard as well, considering that claim about the founding of the country on “Judeo-Christian principles.” Did you have any inkling that some of the black-clad men with big hats might have been Jews?
Jones: I can state categorically that despite their dress, none of those black-clad figures were Jews.
Us: Why is that?
Jones: Because when they came topside to pray, they davened in English.
Us: Wow! So the Pilgrims weren’t intending to base their new society on yiddishkeit?
Jones: Got it in one. You know there’s an interesting fact I just learned: There are approximately 35 million people worldwide who are Mayflower descendants.
Us: Really?
Jones: Yup. And not one of them is a yid.
***
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