A Feast to Remember
The History of Thanksgiving
We all know and love Thanksgiving. It’s a common holiday that most of us have celebrated ever since the day we were born. We have been told that some natives shared a feast with the pilgrims, and that was that. But do you know what actually happened? What exactly caused us to celebrate with feasts and gratitude?
The Long Journey
Our story starts surprisingly not in a warm kitchen, but inside a cold ship. Aboard the Mayflower were Pilgrims and crew members waiting to free themselves from the cruelty of England. In 1620 these English people were on the search for land and a fresh start for their families. Once they set up a colony on the banks of Virginia. A disease had settled there too. A disease called “The Great Dying” added to the struggle of these colonists. One winter was especially tough because the pilgrims had trouble having enough food for everyone. Once 132 people became stronger, the colony quickly shrunk to 53 survivors.
The Neighbors
The Wampanoag tribe lived in the area for 10,000 years before the pilgrims came to the banks of Virginia. Not long before the pilgrims arrived, this tribe had been losing land to neighboring tribes. Unlike the pilgrims, the Wampanoag tribe excelled at harvesting. The Wampanoag had developed a strategy where they moved locations every season for the best harvest. This made them experts at survival skills. In addition, natives and colonists had a long history of bloodshed and vicious wars. Then one shared miracle meal changed everything.
One Meal Changed Everything
A native named Samoset had learned English and decided to introduce the colonists and his tribe. Little did they know that this would be the beginning of a very unlikely friendship. He spent a night at the colony and the day after he brought a friend who also spoke English. His friend,Tisquan, not only spoke English but also knew the way of the land and how to farm successfully. Seeing the pilgrims struggle they taught them how to get food during winter and where to farm. The tribe and the surviving colonists became very close. In fact, in 1621 the Pilgrims invited the Wampanoag tribe to what became the first thanksgiving feast. According to studies, 90 members of the tribe attended this feast and everyone had a wonderful time. It wasn’t until 1789 when George Washington made Thanksgiving an official holiday.
Works Cited
-Editors, History com. “Thanksgiving 2021.” HISTORY, www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving#thanksgiving-s-ancient-origins.
-“The Mayflower Story | Mayflower.” Mayflower, 2019, www.mayflower400uk.org/education/the-mayflower-story/.
-“The True History of Thanksgiving Day | Britannica.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 2024, www.britannica.com/video/on-this-day-Thanksgiving/-250878%0A. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.
-“When Was the First Thanksgiving?” Www.colonial williamsburg.org, 23 Nov. 2023, www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/learn/deep-dives/when-was-the-first-thanksgiving/.
