The Pilgrim's Civil Code P1

The Pilgrims believed the Bible should guide their everyday lives, and their code of civil laws clearly reflected this belief. And while revisions occurred to the original Laws of the Pilgrims over subsequent years, those laws always remained rooted in the Bible.

For example, the preface to the 1658 Book of Laws specifically stated that “laws…are so far good and wholesome as by how much are derived from and agreeable to the ancient platform of God’s Law.” Reflecting this, many of their individual laws cited specific Scriptures as their basis, and several of the rights protected by these laws were later incorporated into the Bill of Rights. 

Unlike many European countries, the Pilgrims chose civil leaders separately from religious ones. Although modern writers accuse the Pilgrims of being “theocrats,” that claim is false. The Pilgrims understood that the Church and State were separate institutions, a view very different from what was customary in Europe at that time.



Content sourced from The American Story, The Beginnings. By: David Barton and Tim Barton