A significant event in the founding of the United States occurred 402 years and 13 days before this day; the 102 passengers of the Mayflower that sailed from Plymouth, England, finally arrived in the New World. The Pilgrims landed at Cape Cod, which is within the current state of Massachusetts, however, they did not begin to establish their settlement that would become Plymouth Colony until about a month later, in December of 1620, when they landed at the renowned landmark of Plymouth Rock. Second only to Jamestown that would become Virginia, Plymouth was one of the first successful English colonies of what would become the Thirteen Colonies.
The establishing of Plymouth Colony was arduous; the Mayflower landed approximately 200 miles north of their intended destination, and they landed during the bitter winter. This first, inopportune winter was ruthless; the Pilgrims suffered from scurvy, diseases, and exposure to the freezing elements ascribable to a lack of suitable shelter and nutrition. A mere half of the original passengers of the Mayflower survived to see that first spring.
The Dawn of Prosperity
In the spring of 1621, the setters were unexpectedly visited by a couple American Indians that greeted them in English, perhaps the most recognized of whom was Squanto. These American Indians taught the Settlers how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, and catch fish in the rivers.
In November of 1621, a year after their first anchoring in the New World, the Pilgrims harvested their first corn and saw that their cultivation was a success; the Governor of Plymouth Colony, William Bradford, organized a celebratory feast and invited a group of the their American Indian allies to what became a three day long festival. During the festival, Settlers and American Indians participated in activities such as hunting, exercising their marksmanship, and even running races. The event, which is remembered as the first Thanksgiving, sealed a treaty between the two groups that lasted for more than fifty years.
While the foods served during the festival are not entirely known, it is believed that many of the foods that are our Thanksgiving Day staples were not on their menu, such as turkey and potatoes; they also did not have desserts such as pies or cakes because of their diminishing sugar supply. It is believed that on that first Thanksgiving Day, or should I say Thanksgiving Days, they served a bizarre assortment of food including lobster, seal, swan, and venison.
The Return of Thanksgiving Day
The Pilgrims’ festival that we recognize as the first Thanksgiving Day was not repeated in subsequent years, except for 1623 when the Pilgrims held a second Thanksgiving celebration to rejoice over the ending of a long drought. It wasn’t until 1789 that Thanksgiving celebrations were held again, when President George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation, in which he called Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion of the nation’s war for Independence and the successful ratification of the Constitution.
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln heeded the request of Sarah Josepha Hale, who is best known for writing the nursery rhyme Mary Had a Little Lamb, and proclaimed that a national Thanksgiving Day is to be held on the final Thursday of November each year to commemorate the struggles and successes of the Pilgrims. President Lincoln also entreated Americans to ask God to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.”
On this day, let us express our gratitude for our existence, livelihood, and welfare, along with everything else for which we are thankful.
What is your favorite Thanksgiving Day food?
Onward American 