While much remains unknown about the first Thanksgiving, we do know for sure that Squanto was integral to the success of the pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts. He taught them how to catch fish, grow corn and how to gather nuts and berries. Essentially, he taught them how to survive in the new world. As a direct result of Squanto’s guidance, the pilgrims were able to grow and gather enough food to help sustain them through the long Massachusetts winter.
Detail from “The First Thanksgiving” (1914), by Jennie Augusta Brownscombe (1850-1936), oil on canvas, Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth, Massachusetts.
To celebrate their prosperous harvest and to thank the Wampanoag, the pilgrims held a harvest celebration in the fall of 1621. They invited 90 Wampanoag, including, of course, Squanto and Massasoit, to the harvest celebration. There were also about 50 pilgrims who attended the festivities. This later became known as the first Thanksgiving. This celebration was not just a single day event, no; it took place over three days.
Now let’s get down to the nitty-gritty of what they ate on the first Thanksgiving.
It was written that the Wampanoag arrived with an offering of 5 deer, making venison the main course of the meal. We can also assume that since this was an autumnal harvest festival that they dined on what they had harvested. During this time that would have been vegetables such as, onions, lettuce, beans, carrots, spinach, cabbage and perhaps peas and corn (in the form of cornmeal).
“The First Thanksgiving, 1621” painting by Karen Rinaldo, 1995. From the collection of Plimoth Plantation.
And so they dined on venison and fowl, as well as, fruit and wild game. And while the rest of the feast is unknown, historians’ surmise that it would have consisted of easily accessible seafood such as fish, lobster, and mussels.
What was missing from the traditional Thanksgiving meal we know today, well, the pilgrims had no access to potatoes. There was also no butter or wheat flour available which means no mashed potatoes or pumpkin pie on the first Thanksgiving.
Dun, dun, dun.
PILGRIMS: THANKSGIVING, 1621. The First Thanksgiving of the Pilgrims, 1621. After a painting by Jean Leon Gerome Ferris
It remains a mystery if this was an annual event for the pilgrims and the Wampanoag. In any case, it became a New England tradition and was officially made a federal holiday by Abraham Lincoln in a proclamation in 1863.
Unfortunately, the peace between settlers and natives was not long lasting. Things were peaceful for a good 10 years until additional settlers began arriving. Not just in New England but all over the east coast of North America. We are talking staggering numbers here; about 25,000 additional Englishman arrived in a 12-year span. Sadly, a plague (brought by European settlers) cut the native population roughly in half.
The National Day of Mourning Plaque on Cole’s Hill in Plymouth, Massachusetts
About 54 years after the Mayflower landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts King Philip’s War began when Massasoit’s son, Philip (Metacom) waged war against the colonists of New England. The war lasted a mere 14 months but it completely changed the face of New England. Some Native Americans chose to fight for Philip, while others sided with the colonists and some tried to stay out of the fight altogether.
Metacom (King Philip), Wampanoag sachem, meeting settlers, illustration c. 1911. Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (Digital file no. cph 3c00678)
Nearly a third of New England’s towns were burned and abandoned. The colonial forces eventually triumphed but the cost of war was devastating. By the end of King Philip’s War, there were about 5,000 dead and nearly three quarters of those were Native Americans. This made King Philip’s War more lethal then both the Revolutionary and Civil Wars and the deadliest war on American soil. Many surviving Native Americans ended the war as slaves.
Native Americans setting a log cabin on fire during King Philip’s War, hand-colored woodcut. © North Wind Picture Archives
So it’s easy to understand why many Native Americans have long marked Thanksgiving as a day of remembrance and mourning as opposed to a celebration. Jacqueline Keeler, a member of the Dineh Nation and the Yankton Dakota Sioux suggests that “Thanksgiving tells a story that is convenient for Americans…it’s a celebration of our survival. I recognize it as a chance for my family to come together as survivors, pretty much in defiance.” (Chan) Native Americans continue to gather each year in Plymouth for a Day of Mourning to both reflect and remember at the statue of Massasoit. Hoping that Americans will never forget but sadly it seems the general population has.
Most Americans take advantage of this holiday to get together with family, eat delicious food and maybe if you are like us, enjoy a football game. However, we should all try to keep in mind that not everyone views this as a day of celebration. Take the time to enjoy family, after all, that is what the holiday season is all about!
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Resources
Brooks, Rebecca Beatrice. “The History of Plymouth Colony.” History Of Massachusetts, 2016. http://historyofmassachusetts.org/plymouth-colony-history/
Chan, Melissa. “What We Really Know About The First Thanksgiving.” Time, 2016. http://time.com/4577425/thanksgiving-2016-true-story/
“First Thanksgiving Meal.” History.com, 2018. https://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving/first-thanksgiving-meal
Philbrick, Nathaniel. Mayflower. New York: Penguin Books, 2006.
