FREE ESSAY ON THE FIRST THANKSGIVING

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING

THE FIRST THANKSGIVING 
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. 
After braving two months at sea, crossing the stormy Atlantic Ocean, the Pilgrims finally
landed off the coast of the New World. In the freezing December waters, they anchored the
Mayflower and sent a landing party to what is now Plymouth Harbor beach. To secure the
small landing boat against the rain and winds, they tied it to a large rock - Plymouth
Rock - and so begins the legend of the original Thanksgiving tale. 
The Pilgrims found themselves in a harsh new environment. In the middle of winter, they
slowly built a settlement at the site of an abandoned Pawtuxet Indian village. Not used
to hunting or fishing, they struggled to find food. Many were starving. The future looked
bleak. 
Many of the pilgrims did not survive the first winter. By the time spring arrived, they
still had not met the Indians. Instead, they lived in fear of their unseen neighbors
based on savage tales they heard from scouts. 
When April arrived, the crew of the Mayflower raised its sails and set off for England,
offering to take any Pilgrim who wished to return to England. Faced with the choice of
the harsh New World, or the religious intolerance of the King, they all stayed. 
One day, a lone Indian man walked into the settlement. He raised his hand in friendship
to the settlers. The Pilgrims welcomed this stranger named Samoset. Samoset introduced
the Pilgrims to his chief, Massasoit, and his interpreter, Squanto. Squanto spoke English
because he had been captured as a boy by traders who had come to the New World in search
of slaves. Squanto was taken to England and lived there many years before returning to
the New World. He alone understood that the Pilgrims did not know how to hunt or fish -
that they would die without help in the New World. 
Squanto and Chief Massasoit extended their friendship to the Pilgrims. They showed them
how to catch fish with nets and how to grow corn, pumpkins, potatoes and squash - foods
from the New World. The Indians showed the Pilgrims where to hunt turkey and deer, and
where to gather nuts and berries. They explained to the Pilgrims that the land was master
of those who walked and lived there. 
The harvest of 1621 saw the fulfillment of their labors. The Pilgrims had grown barley,
corn, pumpkins, and beans. The settlers labored to gather their bounty; and in thanks for
their fortune, decided to honor the land with a special day of thanks and celebration. In
friendship and gratitude to Squanto, Chief Massasoit and the Indian people, they invited
their new friends to join in the feast. 
The Pilgrims spent days preparing for the feast. The men hunted ducks and turkeys, while
the women baked food and decorated the table. When the day finally arrived, the Pilgrims
were surprised to see not 10, not 20, but 90 Indians approaching the village! They
brought with them a bounty all their own. 
For three days, the Indians and Pilgrims feasted and gave thanks to the land for the
harvest. It was a celebration of friendship and thanks; but most of all, it was a
celebration of freedom. Neither the Indians nor the Pilgrims knew what they had begun,
but from this celebration emerged Thanksgiving as we know it today. We have been
celebrating it as a uniquely American holiday ever since. 
In 1863, President Lincoln officially declared the last Thursday in November a holiday of
thanksgiving and praise, and so it remains today. Happy Thanksgiving!