The First Thanksgiving - What Really Happened?

Dear Readers,

As we head into the holiday season, I can’t help but ponder the whole first Thanksgiving issue.  In fact, I cringe when I remember the nostalgic, myth-soaked rendition vs the Thanksgiving that I had encouraged in the classroom during my teaching years.  It seems particularly apropos to examine our beliefs as our nation carries on with the continuing conversation about race relations in the schools.  

In the “olden days” we so enjoyed the idea that the first white people who were settling in New England, hosted that wonderful, large banquet meal for their new friends, the Indians.  A true coming together of cultures, we were told.  They surely would enjoy peace and prosperity for all the years to come.  We love to think about the original menu.  

By now we agree that there may have been some dishes we make every year, you know, pumpkin, cranberries and turkey, even at the first Thanksgiving.   While I still cook these dishes, nothing wrong with adding a bit of romance as we enhance the menu a bit, right?  It’s kind of fun to compare our new version of the menu to, say, Edward Winslow’s diary notes about the feast. His writings were the only mention of a dinner in any of the letters and diaries from that era.  

William Bradford didn’t even mention a dinner in his seminal piece, which was a complete diary of the entire pilgrim’s experiment from the time they boarded the Mayflower and reached the shores of the new world.  What we do know is that the story we've heard and told for generations is largely a romanticized myth.

Listen, I’m not giving up Thanksgiving.  I still believe in it.  We must continue to try to forge peace between ethnic groups.  And yes, let’s continue to gather together, as family and friends.  Maybe we can change the narrative a bit, though?

For a more in-depth perspective, see the PBS American Experience episode: The Myth of Thanksgiving: Native American Perspectives on the Pilgrims. 
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To view time-stamped segments, follow the topics list below:

Introduction 0:26

Who are the Wampanoag and the Narragansett? 6:02

When Pilgrims arrive what happened to Natives due to Europeans?  8:50

What really happened to the Natives of this region before 1620? 13:11

Did the Pilgrims really mean to go Massachusetts? 16:31

What did Native Oral Tradition pass down about the Pilgrims?  19:03

What Earlier Europeans did to Native American of the New England region before 1620: 22:54

Alliances between Pilgrims and Natives: 24:59

Myth of Thanksgiving:

    Pilgrims view: 28:45
    Natives view: 31:28

What is Thanksgiving from the Native American point of view? 33:24

How did Thanksgiving become a national holiday? 38:18

Thank you to Mica 1990 for the segment breakdown.