The First Thanksgiving

After sixty-three days at sea, the Mayflower finally reached the New World. It did not arrive in Virginia as planned, but it reached what is now the state of Massachusetts. Before landing, the Pilgrim men had a meeting. They signed an agreement to obey all the laws made for the colony. This was called the Mayflower Compact. Then they began to search for a place to build a settlement. They chose Plymouth, a harbor discovered a few years earlier by Captain John Smith. In December 1620, they finally walked onto the new land and thanked God for a safe journey.

The first winter was colder and more difficult than any the Englishmen had ever experienced. It was too late to plant crops, so the Pilgrims had little food. Many of them were sick or exhausted from the long voyage. More than half of the Pilgrims died. At one point in time, there were only six or seven people well enough to take care of the sick and bury the dead. The Pilgrims prayed continually for help to persevere through that dreadful winter.

Then in the spring, the Pilgrims were relieved and thankful when some Indians visited Plymouth and helped them. Surprisingly, two of them, Samoset and Squanto, could speak English. They showed the Pilgrims how to plant corn, and they showed them the best places to fish and hunt. They also brought their chief, Massasoit, who made a peace treaty with the Plymouth colony. By summer the Pilgrims had houses built to protect them from the next winter, they had a bountiful harvest, and they were at peace with the Indians. They decided to have a feast to thank God. Massasoit arrived with ninety Indians. Together the Pilgrims and Indians celebrated the first “Thanksgiving” in the New World.

©2014 Institute for Excellence in Writing. From U.S. History-Based Writing Lessons, Vol. 1. Permission given to duplicate within a family or classroom. Additional copies may be downloaded from IEW.com/help-support/blog/free-thanksgiving-source-text