Making the Pilgrims Liberal: American Unitarians and the International Celebration of the 300th Anniversary of Plymouth's Founding, 1920

Abstract In October 1920, American Unitarians celebrated the tercentenary anniversary of Plymouth Colony’s founding—but in no ordinary way. Avoiding a narrow Christian nationalist reading of the Pilgrim history, they stressed the “liberal” Pilgrims whose legacies like free inquiry, progress, and tolerance were inherited by all modern religious progressives across nations and traditions. What resulted was a uniquely international, inter-religious celebration of Plymouth history, where even a Japanese Buddhist and an Indian Hindu were invited.