Essay about What Really Happened During the First Thanksgiving

It was not the best but it was better than some previous relationships with other colonist. However, when the pilgrims discovered the Indians underground corn storage everything changed. The stole over half the corn that the Indians had stored for the winter. The Wampanoag’s minimized socialization with the pilgrims after that, until they signed a treaty in 1621. The pilgrims needed the Wampanoag’s to help them fight the neighboring Narragansett’s tribe. However, treaty only lasted one year. The Indians considered themselves to be equal to the puritan’s, however in the minds of the Europeans if one was not a white Christian then he or she is inferior. When new comers came to the colonies began stealing from the neighboring Massachusetts tribe. This ultimately led to the Indians refusal to trade with the colonist. This upset the pilgrims and led to violent encounters with the Wampanoag’s Indians. In one case the colonist cut off the heads of eight friendly Indians and placed them on top of fort Plymouth to symbolize their supremacy. Ironically the colonist surprised the Indians with their barbaric acts of violence. The colonist was supposed to be great Christians they were converting the Indians from their savage ways and teaching them the way of Christ. The pilgrims former minister John Robinson wrote to the governor Bradford expressing his concerns about their barbaric behavior. He

On September 6, 1620, 102 men, women and children from England boarded a small cargo boat called the Mayflower and set sail for the New World. The passengers left their homes in England in search of religious freedom from the King of England. Today they are known as "pilgrims."

The notion of the “First Thanksgiving” often taught to students have little to no historical merit. More often than not, theories that offer a plausible explanation to what occurred are often ignore because they desecrate the emotional attachments we have to our story of

Based on most ethnic principles and values in early settlers, they were alike, but in a unique way they were different. In both primary and secondary sources, each author has the same type of writing style. In “The Coming of Age in the Dawnland”, Charles C. Mann is referring to analyzation by introducing the readers to Tisquantum the “friendly Indian”and the experiences of traveling to Dawnland and interacting with the Native Americans. Another primary source, “Of Plymouth Plantation”, written by William Bradford, was an American Literature based story to inform the reader about the travels and beliefs of the Puritans and the Pilgrims. Last source is the, “Suppressed Speech Of Wamsutta (Frank B.) James, Wampanoag”. This speech is also to inform the reader about what the Wampanoags went through and what kind of lifestyle they were living from one of their own men's perspective.Each of these villages, families, and individuals all had to go through the same struggles, hardships, and brutal conditions. So, let’s get into what beliefs, ways, and religions each one of these groups had to go through.

When the first European colonists arrived in 1620 on land in the New World, a disaster was forming. Arriving in what is known today as Massachusetts on The Mayflower, the settlers didn’t have enough experience surviving cold, harsh winters causing almost half of the settlers to die that had arrived on The Mayflower. This had changed in 1621 with the help of the Native people. The American Indians had started teaching the English people how to do many things including harvesting and growing crops. This help from the Native’s had led to the first Thanksgiving between the two groups. These two societies, however, didn’t remain friends. The English settlers had kicked off the American Indians of their own land and tried to make them convert to Christianity. The English settlers had also brought diseases from Europe causing many Indians to get very sick and even some die.

In an article by Pleck (2011) it was claimed that the pilgrims did not have ruffled shirts, buckled shoes nor did they consume on turkey at the harvest feast that occurred in 1621. This may come as a shock to most because growing up we were taught to believe these along with other “facts” about the harvest feast that we come to know as the first thanksgiving. The pilgrims lost many of their people in the winter of 1620 due to lack of foraging knowledge. This led the colony to form a relationship with the Wampanoag tribe. They taught them how to fish as well as gather vegetables. This is thought to be common knowledge but as previously stated this may not be completely true after all. Pleck was not the only person to uncover the truth about the harvest feast of 1621. A director named Ellis (2010) made a documentary that confirms the feast

Being only one month apart in date, Christmas and Thanksgiving have two very different seasons. In November, when its considered fall, leaves have changed colors, the temperature has dropped some and the air brings crisp breezes. Often than not, you’ll see hay rides being offered, corn mazes and folks not quite in their full winter attire. But when Christmas time rolls around snow has fallen, not a trace of leaves on the trees and a bit too cold for hay rides and corn mazes. This would be one month later, in December, where you will see town’s people bundled up in their warmest winter gear, building snowmen or making snow angels. Two individual seasons that are

At the start of the film After the Mayflower: We Shall Remain, the English and the Native Americans celebrated the first Thanksgiving together in 1621. Both groups of people seemed trusting of each other and showed personal respect. At this time the Wampanoag Indians had the power and chose to use it to form a treaty with the weak English Pilgrims. The two groups shared everything and traded their assets with each other. As the film continued there was an obvious change in power to the English with more and more Puritan immigrants from Europe arriving. By the end of the movie the English decided to use their power to control all lands instead of keeping the treaty with the native people. The English “thanksgiving” at

The pilgrims were a very interesting group of people, simply for their faith being so strong even through terrible times. “They fell upon their knees and blessed God of heaven…” (Bradford) This shows that the faith of the pilgrims was unbelievably strong and although they were hungry and cold, they were thankful that

It is mind boggling to know that despite the quest for knowledge and learning the truth behind our history, yet a vast number of people still celebrate thanksgiving. What are we really thankful for?

Most people have the custom of buying a turkey for thanksgiving. “46 million turkeys are eaten each Thanksgiving” (Turkey for the Holidays). Traditionally, people eat an abundance of food resembling the pilgrims and how they had a feast based on their religion. Furthermore, there are many different varieties of food such as: turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans, cranberry sauce, and dinner rolls. For dessert there is pumpkin, apple, and pecan pie. Most of the time the food is extraordinary people just want more. They might even take some and have it again later on. Thanksgiving is a feast we are blessed to

When I imagine “The First Thanksgiving”, I think of peace and harmony. Then my History complex comes in, I remember all of the rape, cannibalism, and disease spreading that happened in the years before “The First Thanksgiving” ruin my picture perfect scene. The Pilgrims did not have a farming aspect when they came to The New Colony but with the help of the Native Americans they learned how to survive. When I was younger we always were taught that this time, in history, everyone got along and they were happy. The Pilgrims came to have religious freedom and not to be treated as second class citizens. This is a notable act but they had various pathogens that they were immuned to but the Natives were not. Historians say that the pathogens that

In the historical background, Of Plymouth Plantation, by William Bradford, he stated, “They began now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fit up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strength and had all things in good plenty” (Bradford 18). This shows how the Pilgrims and the Native Americans were gathering together to have a harvest. This is important because the harvest between the Native Americans and Pilgrims ended up being Thanksgiving, which is an important holiday to the Americans because it celebrates our relationship between the Native Americans and the Pilgrims. In addition, in America Thanksgiving is still celebrated every year in November. Furthermore, William Bradford contributes to America by stating, “ That neither he nor any of his should injure or do hurt to any of their people” (Bradford 17). This shows that the relationship with the Native and the Pilgrims was so strong that they formed alliances by creating laws to protect themselves and each other. This is significant because just as the Native American influenced Bradford, he also influences them by using a “European concept” (laws) that protects himself and the Native Americans. Also, this influenced America because some of the laws that were used between the Native American and Bradford are incorporated in American society.

The truth behind the tradition is surprising. Thanksgiving and the Pilgrims seem to go together, but the truth is, the Pilgrims never held an autumnal Thanksgiving feast. However the Pilgrims did have a feast in 1621, after their first harvest, and it is this feast, which people often refer to as "The First Thanksgiving". This feast was never repeated, though, so it can't be called the beginning of a tradition, nor was it termed by the colonists or "Pilgrims" a Thanksgiving Feast. In fact, a day of thanksgiving was a day of prayer and fasting, and would have been held any time that they felt an extra day of thanks was called for. Nevertheless, the 1621 feast has become a model that we think of for our own

While children are growing up in America, they are told several tales of America’s establishment and history. However, these stories are generally not told as they actually happened. An instance of this is the story of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is explained as this elaborate ceremony where the Pilgrims and Indians gathered in harmony at this large harvest in celebration of their coming together. According to the primary document of William Bradford’s journal, Thanksgiving didn’t pan out quite as it is explained to Americans today. In the film, The Addams Family Values, the Addams children take part in a traditional, yet misconceived celebration of the first Thanksgiving. This