“The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth” (1914) By Jennie A. Brownscombe. Wikipedia image.

Thanksgiving this year celebrates the 400th anniversary of Thanksgiving in North America. I’m somewhat appalled that nobody seems to have mentioned that the first Thanksgiving took place in 1621, 400 years ago. Clearly, it didn’t happen on the same day in November that we now commemorate. And clearly, it didn’t look much like the celebration that most of us learned about in grade school.  But we did learn about it in grade school, it was a big deal, and this is the quadricentennial.

Last year was a horrible year, and for the Pilgrims of the Plymouth Colony, 1620 was also a horrible year.  Forty-five of the 102 passengers from the Mayflower died in the winter of 1620-21.  But at the end of the following year, there was much for which they could give thanks. The harvest of 1621 was bountiful. There was peace in the land, thanks largely to a forgotten hero of American history, Squanto, an English-speaking Native American man who providentially appeared to the colonists to broker peace and teach survival.

I suppose the reason nobody talks about this anniversary is because of the way Native Americans have been treated over the following centuries. Clearly, much of that history is shameful. But the first Thanksgiving was not a part of that shameful history. The version we learned in grade school isn’t accurate in many of its details, but it is right about one thing: The colonists and the Native Americans they encountered lived in harmony. Rather than sweep this history under the rug, I think this is exactly the kind of history we should celebrate and learn from.  We shouldn’t ignore people who did the right thing 400 years ago just because other people later did the wrong thing.

Here is the account of the first Thanksgiving, written by Governor William Bradford (you can find it reprinted in this 1841 text at pages 231-33)

Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might, after a special manner, rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest king, Massasoyt, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted; and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation, and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was at this time with us, yet by the goodness of God we are so far from want, that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.

We have found the Indians very faithful in their covenant of peace with us, very loving, and ready to pleasure us. We often go to them, and they come to us. Some of us have been fifty miles by land in the country with them, the occasions and relations whereof you shall understand by our general and more full declaration of such things as are worth the noting. Yea, it hath pleased God so to possess the Indians with a fear of us and love unto us, that not only the greatest king amongst them, called Massasoyt, but also all the princes and peoples round about us, have either made suit unto us, or been glad of any occasion to make peace with us; so that seven of them at once have sent their messengers to us to that end. Yea, an isle at sea, which we never saw, hath also, together with the former, yielded willingly to be under the protection and subject to our sovereign lord King James. So that there is now great peace amongst the Indians themselves, which was not formerly, neither would have been but for us ; and we, for our parts, walk as peaceably and safely in the wood as in the highways in England. We entertain them familiarly in our houses, and they as friendly bestowing their venison on us. They are a people without any religion or knowledge of any God, yet very trusty, quick of apprehension, ripe-witted, just. The men and women go naked, only a skin about their middles.

I encourage you to watch this short video from PBS The American Experience. This is an anniversary we ought to celebrate: