History of Thanksgiving

Written by Sara Sands

Thanksgiving: a holiday that we grew up celebrating. It’s always been a yearly tradition, whether you spend it with your grandparents or stay home to enjoy a peaceful celebration with your family. However, do you know where this holiday originated? We’ve spent our whole lives learning that Thanksgiving is a day of thanks and spending time with family, but it is much more than that.

It all started in September of 1620 when a ship from England left in search of the New World. This ship was the Mayflower, and it had one-hundred and two people aboard. They intended to land near the Hudson River’s mouth but landed in Cape Cod, far north of where they were initially heading. One month after landing at Cape Cod, the Mayflower crossed the Massachusetts Bay, and the Pilgrims began to build a settlement.

The first winter proved difficult for the settlers, and half of the passengers on the ship died due to sickness and exposure. After winter ended, the settlers moved ashore to begin building up their settlement known as Plymouth. They were first greeted by one Abenaki Native American who brought the widely known Indian named Squanto to the settlers. Squanto helped teach the Pilgrims how to live off the land by cultivating corn, identifying poisonous plants, and other similar things. He also helped them to ally with the Wampanoag tribe.

The Pilgrims and Indians came together for a feast after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest was successful in November of 1621. The Governor of Plymouth, William Bradford, invited the Wampanoag chief, Massasoit. The festival lasted for three days and is now known as America’s first Thanksgiving.

Now you know the history of Thanksgiving! When you are eating your feast this year, remember the American settlers at Plymouth that had the first Thanksgiving ever.

Works Cited

History.com Editors. “Thanksgiving 2020.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/history-of-thanksgiving.