Thanksgiving 2018
The celebration we now popularly regard as the “First Thanksgiving” was the Pilgrims’ three-day feast celebrated in early November of 1621 (although a day of thanks in America was observed in Virginia at Cape Henry in 1607). The first Thanksgiving to God in Plymouth Colony was actually celebrated during the summer of 1623, when the colonists declared a Thanksgiving holiday after their crops were saved by much-needed rainfall.
“The Landing of the Pilgrims” (Painting by Henry A. Bacon, 1877)
Upon landing in America [in December 1620], the Pilgrims conducted a prayer service, then quickly turned to building shelters. Starvation and sickness during the ensuing New England winter killed almost half their population [of 102 people], but through prayer and hard work, with the assistance of their Indian friends, the Pilgrims reaped a rich harvest in the summer of 1621.
“The First Thanksgiving” (Painting by Jennie A. Brownscombe, 1914)
Most of what we know about the Pilgrim Thanksgiving of 1621 comes from original acｃounts of the young colony’s leaders, Governor William Bradford and Master Edward Winslow, in their own hand:
“They begane now to gather in ye small harvest they had, and to fitte up their houses and dwellings against winter, being well recovered in health & strenght, and had all things in good plenty; for some were thus imployed in affairs abroad, others were excersised in fishing, aboute codd, & bass, & other fish, of which yey tooke good store, of which every family had their portion. All ye somer ther was no wante. And now begane to come in store of foule, as winter aproached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degree). And besids water foule, ther was great store of wild Turkies, of which they took many, besids venison, &c. Besids they had aboute a peck a meale a weeke to a person, or now since harvest, Indean corne to yt proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largly of their plenty hear to their freinds in England, which were not fained, but true reports.”
W.B. (William Bradford)
Portrait of Edward Winslow, 1651.
“Our Corne did proue well, & God be praysed, we had a good increase of Indian Corne, and our Barly indifferent good, but our Pease not worth the gathering, for we feared they were too late sowne, they came vp very well, and blossomed, but the Sunne parched them in the blossome; our harvest being gotten in, our Governour sent foure men on fowling, that so we might after a more speciall manner reioyce together, after we had gathered the fruit of our labors; they foure in one day killed as much fowle, as with a little helpe beside, served the Company almost a weeke, at which time amongst other Recreations, we exercised our Armes, many of the Indians coming amongst vs, and among the rest their greatest King Massasoyt, with some nintie men, whom for three dayes we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed fiue Deere, which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed upon our Governour, and upon the Captaine, and others. And although it be not alwayes so plentifull, as it was at this time with vs, yet by the goodneses of God, we are so farre from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.” E.W. (Edward Winslow) Plymouth, in New England, this 11th of December, 1621
Article Source :https://www.studentnewsdaily.com/daily-news-article/thanksgiving-2018/
ImageSource: https://www.studentnewsdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/pilgrims-embark.jpg" class="img-thumbnail" alt="Thanksgiving 2018
VOCABULARY WORDS
1.Regard /verb : consider or think of (someone or something) in a specified way.
2.Colonist /noun : a settler in or inhabitant of a colony.
3.Pilgrim /noun : a person who journeys to a sacred place for religious reasons.
4.Starvation /noun : suffering or death caused by hunger.
5.Proportion /noun : a part, share, or number considered in comparative relation to a whole.
6.Bestow /verb : confer or present (an honor, right, or gift).
QUESTIONS
1. To whom did Edward Winslow give credit for the good crops the Pilgrims reaped in 1621?
2. What was the purpose of George Washington’s Thanksgiving proclamation?
3. Make a list of what you are thankful for this year. Spend some time thinking about it.
