Who Were The Pilgrims?
The Pilgrims, as the group of English Puritans were later called, were a group of Separatists who broke away from the Church of England in the early 17th century because they felt the church had not completed the work of the Reformation. The group immigrated to Amsterdam in 1608 to escape religious persecution, but became worried when their children started to acclimate to the Dutch way of life. The Separatists considered the Dutch frivolous and a threat to their children's education and morality.
The Dutch influence combined by economic hardship convinced a portion of the group to travel to America for a fresh start. The group, lacking the means to finance such a trip, negotiated a transportation agreement with Thomas Weston, a London iron merchant. They also secured authorization to settle in an area owned by the London Company in return for seven years of labor in the New World.
So, on Sept. 16, 1620, the 180-ton Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England, with 102 passengers -- including the Puritans from the Dutch settlement as well as another group of Separatists.
The trip, which took 65 days, was cold and damp; the food was eaten cold for fear of fire on the wooden ship. As a result, many became ill and one person died before reaching America.
Struggling To Survive
The Mayflower's passengers spotted land -- which turned out to be Cape Cod -- on Nov. 19, 1620. Since they had no legal right to settle that land, the settlers created the Mayflower Compact, forming their own government. In a month's time, however, they discovered Plymouth Harbor on the western side of Cape Cod Bay and landed there Dec. 21. Plymouth was the land the Puritans had agreed to settle. It was named by Captain John Smith in 1614 when he explored the area.
Though the settlers' foremost fear in the new land was violence from the local Indians, the weather turned out to be the biggest obstacle. Winter was setting in, and the settlers, who were short on food and strength, had a hard time building shelters to keep out the cold. The winter was exceptionally harsh, and many settlers fell ill.
By March, less than half the colony was still alive.
Starting A New Life
Along with the spring of 1621 came new hope in the form of two Indian braves -- Samoset, of the Wabanake Tribe, and Squanto, of the Pokanoket Wampanoag nation.
These braves were not unfamiliar with white-skinned people. Squanto had traveled to England in 1605 with explorer John Weymouth. Upon his return to America, Squanto was captured by a British slave trader, who sold him to the Spanish in the Caribbean Islands. There, a priest befriended him and helped him escape to Spain, where he found passage to England. There, Squanto met Samoset, who had also left America with an explorer, and they traveled together back to the New World with the financial help of Weymouth.
One year later, the two braves were hunting when they stumbled upon the Puritan settlers. The white-skinned people were shocked when the Indians greeted them in English. Seeing that they were in dire need of help, Squanto volunteered to stay with the settlers for a few months to teach them how to survive. He taught them how to grow vegetables and build Indian-style homes. He taught them about plants -- those that were poisonous and those that could be used as medicine, as well as other skills they needed to prosper in their new home.
By fall, the Pilgrims had enough food to survive another winter and were living comfortably in their wigwams -- they even constructed one European-style building of squared logs that they used as a church.
A Feast Of Thanksgiving
This good fortune was the premise for the thanksgiving feast the Puritans decided to host. They viewed it as a celebration for their success and peace with their neighbors -- a one-time celebration.
The Pilgrims invited Squanto, Samoset, and Wampanoag chief Massosoit, along with their immediate families, to join in the feast. The hosts were shocked when 90 relatives arrived -- they were not prepared to feed so many for the three-day celebration. Seeing this, Massosoit's men returned to camp and came back bearing deer, turkeys, fish, and many vegetables. The feast lasted full three days and proved to be a special celebration of friendship between the two groups.
Thanksgiving Dispute
Many analysts argue that although the Pilgrims did indeed hold a thanksgiving celebration, it did not become an annual tradition -- thus, this celebration did not initiate the Thanksgiving holiday.
Also, some argue that the settlers did not view it as a Thanksgiving holiday. It was merely a harvest festival, and these devoutly religious people would give thanks to God by fasting and prayer.
In truth, several such one-time thanksgiving celebrations occurred before the holiday was set in place. For instance, George Washington and his troops, as they moved toward Valley Forge in 1776, stopped to celebrate a day of Thanksgiving. When Washington became president, he declared a day of thanksgiving and prayer, but the nation was not yet united enough to institute such a national holiday.
The Pilgrims' celebration was first referred to as the first Thanksgiving in 1841 by Alexander Young in his Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers. The holiday was, at this point, slowly becoming more widespread and was declared a national holiday in 1863 by President Lincoln. After this, the identification of the Pilgrim Thanksgiving slowly grew in acceptance until, by 1920, on the Pilgrims' 300th anniversary celebration, they were the primary historical representation of the holiday.
The Pilgrims, as the group of English Puritans were later called, were a group of Separatists who broke away from the Church of England in the early 17th century because they felt the church had not completed the work of the Reformation. The group immigrated to Amsterdam in 1608 to escape religious persecution, but became worried when their children started to acclimate to the Dutch way of life. The Separatists considered the Dutch frivolous and a threat to their children's education and morality.
The Dutch influence combined by economic hardship convinced a portion of the group to travel to America for a fresh start. The group, lacking the means to finance such a trip, negotiated a transportation agreement with Thomas Weston, a London iron merchant. They also secured authorization to settle in an area owned by the London Company in return for seven years of labor in the New World.
So, on Sept. 16, 1620, the 180-ton Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England, with 102 passengers -- including the Puritans from the Dutch settlement as well as another group of Separatists.
The trip, which took 65 days, was cold and damp; the food was eaten cold for fear of fire on the wooden ship. As a result, many became ill and one person died before reaching America.
Struggling To Survive
The Mayflower's passengers spotted land -- which turned out to be Cape Cod -- on Nov. 19, 1620. Since they had no legal right to settle that land, the settlers created the Mayflower Compact, forming their own government. In a month's time, however, they discovered Plymouth Harbor on the western side of Cape Cod Bay and landed there Dec. 21. Plymouth was the land the Puritans had agreed to settle. It was named by Captain John Smith in 1614 when he explored the area.
Though the settlers' foremost fear in the new land was violence from the local Indians, the weather turned out to be the biggest obstacle. Winter was setting in, and the settlers, who were short on food and strength, had a hard time building shelters to keep out the cold. The winter was exceptionally harsh, and many settlers fell ill.
By March, less than half the colony was still alive.
Starting A New Life
Along with the spring of 1621 came new hope in the form of two Indian braves -- Samoset, of the Wabanake Tribe, and Squanto, of the Pokanoket Wampanoag nation.
These braves were not unfamiliar with white-skinned people. Squanto had traveled to England in 1605 with explorer John Weymouth. Upon his return to America, Squanto was captured by a British slave trader, who sold him to the Spanish in the Caribbean Islands. There, a priest befriended him and helped him escape to Spain, where he found passage to England. There, Squanto met Samoset, who had also left America with an explorer, and they traveled together back to the New World with the financial help of Weymouth.
One year later, the two braves were hunting when they stumbled upon the Puritan settlers. The white-skinned people were shocked when the Indians greeted them in English. Seeing that they were in dire need of help, Squanto volunteered to stay with the settlers for a few months to teach them how to survive. He taught them how to grow vegetables and build Indian-style homes. He taught them about plants -- those that were poisonous and those that could be used as medicine, as well as other skills they needed to prosper in their new home.
By fall, the Pilgrims had enough food to survive another winter and were living comfortably in their wigwams -- they even constructed one European-style building of squared logs that they used as a church.
A Feast Of Thanksgiving
This good fortune was the premise for the thanksgiving feast the Puritans decided to host. They viewed it as a celebration for their success and peace with their neighbors -- a one-time celebration.
The Pilgrims invited Squanto, Samoset, and Wampanoag chief Massosoit, along with their immediate families, to join in the feast. The hosts were shocked when 90 relatives arrived -- they were not prepared to feed so many for the three-day celebration. Seeing this, Massosoit's men returned to camp and came back bearing deer, turkeys, fish, and many vegetables. The feast lasted full three days and proved to be a special celebration of friendship between the two groups.
Thanksgiving Dispute
Many analysts argue that although the Pilgrims did indeed hold a thanksgiving celebration, it did not become an annual tradition -- thus, this celebration did not initiate the Thanksgiving holiday.
Also, some argue that the settlers did not view it as a Thanksgiving holiday. It was merely a harvest festival, and these devoutly religious people would give thanks to God by fasting and prayer.
In truth, several such one-time thanksgiving celebrations occurred before the holiday was set in place. For instance, George Washington and his troops, as they moved toward Valley Forge in 1776, stopped to celebrate a day of Thanksgiving. When Washington became president, he declared a day of thanksgiving and prayer, but the nation was not yet united enough to institute such a national holiday.
The Pilgrims' celebration was first referred to as the first Thanksgiving in 1841 by Alexander Young in his Chronicles of the Pilgrim Fathers. The holiday was, at this point, slowly becoming more widespread and was declared a national holiday in 1863 by President Lincoln. After this, the identification of the Pilgrim Thanksgiving slowly grew in acceptance until, by 1920, on the Pilgrims' 300th anniversary celebration, they were the primary historical representation of the holiday.
