USA's forefathers were cowards and ran...?

Well, the first European settlers came here for many reasons. The Spanish came looking for gold and a passage to Asia, and so did the English who settled in Jamestown. The Pilgrims who came to find freedom from religious oppression were a small minority in England, so it would have been very difficult for them defend themselves against oppression or change the laws in a country where there is an established church whose head wears a crown. Regardless of the reasons, I think it takes great courage to leave family, friends, and neighbors and go to a new and unfamiliar land.