The First Thanksgiving at Plymouth

by: Brownscombe
(retrieved from http://www.pilgrimhall.org/f_thanks.htm, adapted)

Directions: read the essay below for the main ideas. Then answer the three questions before moving on to the next page.

In the early autumn of 1621, the 53 Pilgrims who had survived the winter celebrated their successful harvest, as was the English custom.  During this time, "many of the Indians came... amongst the rest their great king Massasoit, with some ninety men."

The Pilgrims did not call this harvest festival a "Thanksgiving," although they did give thanks to God.  To them, a Day of Thanksgiving was purely religious.  The first recorded religious Day of Thanksgiving was held in 1623 in response to a providential rainfall.

That 1621 celebration is remembered as the "First Thanksgiving in Plymouth.  The religious day of thanksgiving and the harvest festival evolved into a single event: a yearly Thanksgiving, proclaimed by individual governors for a Thursday in November.  The custom of an annual Thanksgiving celebrating abundance and family spread across America.

Some presidents proclaimed Thanksgivings, others did not.  Abraham Lincoln began the tradition of an annual national Thanksgiving in 1863.

Thanksgiving is an enduring symbol from which millions of immigrants have learned "Americanism."  While not all Native Peoples celebrate the day, the story of the Pilgrims and Wampanoag sharing a harvest celebration remains an inspiration to many.

According to the essay...

Select the true sentence from the options in the drop-down box

If you have read both essays, move on to the past perfect!