The Truth About Thanksgiving

The truth about the
first Thanksgiving
A
History
Mystery!
Lets think about the basics of the

story of the first Thanksgiving
The pilgrims land and are not prepared for
this new land
The American Indians, who were friendly,
help them survive
The next year, learning from the natives,
The Pilgrims have a successful
harvest and celebrate the first
Thanksgiving
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Lets think about that first feast...

It would have looked very different from
our traditional feast today.
* First, there was no milk, so
therefore no butter
* There was little to no sugar, so no
berries
* There were no ovens, so no

roasted turkey or pies
Christopher, George W. Biological Warfare; A Historical Perspective. Journal of the American Medical Association. 278.5 (1997):
412-417. <http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v278n5/fpdf/jsc7044.pdf> .December 6, 2002
Considering that virtually none of the standard fare

surrounding Thanksgiving contains an ounce of
authenticity, historical accuracy, or cross-cultural
perception, why is it so apparently ingrained? Is it
necessary to the American psyche to perpetually
exploit and debase its victims in order to justify its
history? - Michael Dorris
If all this is different from the historical myth...
Then maybe other differences exist as well
Lets see by looking at the

first Thanksgiving through
the eyes of Squanto...
Some Context
For decades before the

Pilgrims landed, British
and French fisherman
came to the coasts of
southern New England to
fish.
It is likely that they
brought some of their
European germs and
diseases to the New
World before any settlers.
One wave of fisherman/New England

native contact occurred in 1617. Within
three years, disease had wiped out between
90% to 96% of the native New England
population.
Whole towns were
depopulated. The living
were not able to bury the
dead; and their bodies were
found lying above the
ground many years after.
The pilgrims land in 1620

Although many textbooks say
that the pilgrims bribed their
captain to land in Massachusetts
and not Virginia, historical
sources find this difficult to
believe. The pilgrims were only
35 of the 102 passengers on the
ship, the others were ordinary
settlers.
Massachusetts was attractive to

the pilgrims and settlers alike for
one reason that Virginia was not
- few native peoples. They
might also have heard the area
described by Squanto ...
WHAT?
How could Squanto have described the land to
the European settlers and pilgrims in
Europe??!!
Let start with the myth
that when the Pilgrims

arrived they had to
start from scratch
After landing, the Pilgrims chose to
live near beautiful cleared fields,
recently panted corn, and ...fresh
water.
Indeed this beautiful land was already a

town. It was Squantos home village of
Patuxet!
Since the native peoples had died due to disease; the
Pilgrims moved right in, plundering and using native
materials.
One colonial sailors account noted that we found
a place like a grave. We decided to dig it up. We
found first a mat, and under that a fine bowwe
also found bowls, trays, dishes, and things like
that. We took away several of the prettiest things
to carry away with us
It wasnt like a grave it was a grave!

More importantly, the Pilgrims found

Squanto, who spoke English.
Squantos Story
In 1605, Squanto was captured by a British captain
during a summer fishing trip.
He was taken to England where he spent

nine years working, the last three for Captain
Gorges on his ship.
In 1614, a British slave raider seized
Squanto and some fellow Indians and
sold them into slavery in Spain
10
Squantos Story II
Squanto eventually escaped from Spain and made his
way back to England.
He then traveled to Newfoundland, and in 1619
convinced Captain Tomas Dermer to take him back
to New England on his next fishing trip.
Squanto returned to his village to find that
he was the sole member of his village still
alive.
All the others had perished in the
epidemic.
11
As sociologist/historian, Jim Lowen has noted No

wonder Squanto threw in his lot with the pilgrims!
Like the traditional history, it
seems that Squanto helped the
colonist learn to survive in the
New World.
In the fall of 1621 the
colonists and several
natives sat down to
several days of feasting
and thanksgiving to God.
12
Many sources note that the pilgrims had

never seen such a feast
Of course, the Pilgrims had never seen such a

feast literally nearly all the foods were
indigenous to the Americans and had been
provided by help with the local natives
13
Jim Lowen has described the idea of the First Thanksgiving

as our national origin myth
Another interesting historical fact:

Thanksgiving did not exist as a
national holiday until the Civil War.
In 1863 Abraham Lincoln felt that
such an observance would boost
patriotism
14
Remember the quote from the beginning of

this presentation- Why is this idea of
thanksgiving so ingrained?
Is it necessary to the American psyche to
perpetually exploit and debase its victims in
order to justify its history? - Michael Dorris
Talk Amongst Yourselves:

What does it say about us
as a nation that we persist
on this imagery of the first
thanksgiving even though
historians have discovered
an alternative account?
Quotes and history cited from James

Lowen, Lies My Teacher Told Me
15

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The truth about the

Lets think about the basics of the

Lets think about that first feast...

* There were no ovens, so no

Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

Considering that virtually none of the standard fare

If all this is different from the historical myth...

Then maybe other differences exist as well

Lets see by looking at the

For decades before the

Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

One wave of fisherman/New England

The pilgrims land in 1620

Free Template from www.brainybetty.com

Massachusetts was attractive to

that when the Pilgrims

Indeed this beautiful land was already a

It wasnt like a grave it was a grave!

More importantly, the Pilgrims found

He was taken to England where he spent

As sociologist/historian, Jim Lowen has noted No

Many sources note that the pilgrims had

Of course, the Pilgrims had never seen such a

Jim Lowen has described the idea of the First Thanksgiving

Another interesting historical fact:

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Remember the quote from the beginning of

Talk Amongst Yourselves:

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Quotes and history cited from James

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