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The Pilgrims

The Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621 after surviving their first winter in Plymouth, Massachusetts. They had fled religious persecution in England and tried living in Holland, but wanted to ensure their children maintained their English culture and religion. The Pilgrims' journey was financed by English investors in exchange for working for seven years. They settled in Plymouth due to its protective harbor and natural resources. With the help of the Wampanoag tribe, including Squanto, who taught them how to farm corn and other crops, the Pilgrims had a successful harvest and celebrated with a three day Thanksgiving feast.

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15 views3 pages

The Pilgrims

The Pilgrims celebrated the first Thanksgiving in 1621 after surviving their first winter in Plymouth, Massachusetts. They had fled religious persecution in England and tried living in Holland, but wanted to ensure their children maintained their English culture and religion. The Pilgrims' journey was financed by English investors in exchange for working for seven years. They settled in Plymouth due to its protective harbor and natural resources. With the help of the Wampanoag tribe, including Squanto, who taught them how to farm corn and other crops, the Pilgrims had a successful harvest and celebrated with a three day Thanksgiving feast.

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carmenperalto.profe
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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THE PILGRIMS

The Pilgrims who celebrated the first


Thanksgiving in America were trying to get
away from religious persecution in England.

They first went to Holland but after their children


began speaking Dutch and became attached to the
Dutch way of life, the Pilgrims felt that they needed
to leave. They felt as though the Dutch were a threat
to their children’s education and morality.

The Pilgrim’s trip was financed by a group of English


investors. However, they first had to work for 7 years
in exchange for their passage and supplies.
On September 16, 1620 the Pilgrims set sail
on a ship called Mayflower. The trip took 65
days and the weather was very damp and
cold. Since there was a danger of fire on the
wooden ship, they had to eat only cold
food.
Although the first land that they saw was Cape Cod,
they did not settle until they arrived in Plymouth,
Massachusetts. Plymouth had a good harbor and a
large brook which would allow to catch fish for food.
The weather during the first winter was cold and
snowy and only 50 of the 110 Pilgrims survived.
When winter was over, an Indian walked to the
settlement and said “Welcome” to the Pilgrims.
He also told them that he had learned English
from the captains of the fishing boats that had
sailed off the coast. The next day he brought
another Indian, named Squanto, who had
learned English in England.
Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to
tap the maple trees for sap. He
taught them which plants were
poisonous and which had medicinal
powers. He taught how to plant corn
and other crops.

The harvest in October was very successful and the


Pilgrims had a lot of food that would last them through
the winter. The Pilgrims had many reasons to celebrated.
They had enough food to survive the winter, they built
homes in the wilderness, and they were at Peace with
the Indian neighbors.
The Governor of the Pilgrims declared a
day of THANKSGIVING to be shared by all,
including the Native Americans. The celebration
lasted for 3 days.
The next year, the amount of food they
had grown was not as bountiful.
They were still beginners at growing and
had shared food with newcomers.

Therefore, this year, they did not have as much


food. The 3rd year, the spring and summer were
hot and dry with meant that the crops were dying.
The Governor then ordered a day of fasting and
prayer. Soon thereafter, the rain came. To
celebrate, November 29th of that year was
proclaimed a day ofThanksgiving.

During the Americans Revolution (late 1770's) a day


of national Thanksgiving was suggested by
Continental Congress, In 1863, Abraham Lincoln,
appointed a national day of Thanksgiving, Now,
Thanksgiving is celebrated during the fourth
Thursday of each November.

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