Introduction
Back in colonial times, they had to plant all their crops by hand, by themselves. Today, we have machines to plant the crops and we buy the crops from supermarkets, thanks to modern technology. Settlers in Plymouth had to do the same thing; plant their own crops. Imagine how hard this must’ve been! Some facts that you will learn will be about Plymouth and how they lived. They had to go on the Mayflower to come to the “new world.” The ride to Plymouth is a famous voyage. There also is a man named Squanto, a Native American, who taught them many things. The First Thanksgiving happened in Plymouth, which is also a popular holiday!
What Happened On The Mayflower Voyage?
The Mayflower was used to go to a new place so the Pilgrims could have religious freedom. If the Pilgrims did not go on this voyage, Plymouth would have never existed, which is why it is a very important event in Plymouth history.
The Mayflower was a very crowded ship, it had about 102 passengers on board from the beginning. That was very crowded for a ship. They had absolutely nothing to do. So, some kids made up games that they could play with their friends, and the kids worked hard. The adults worked harder. Researchers are curious about what games they might’ve played on the ship, it wasn’t that spacious. Women had to make more clothes, wash clothes, etc. Researchers wonder what type of clothes did the women make. Men had to get their own food and cook it to provide to their families. Sometimes young boys and girls would help their parents work. If someone got sick, they would have to be taken care of by each other. A lot of passengers got seasick, so this made it very difficult not to be sick. They could only bring a little amount of their belongings on board, which usually was clothes, blankets, etc. Some little girls brought their dolls, some little boys brought barrel hoops, which they used in some games they made up. Life wasn’t so good, not until they landed. Researchers wonder if they could have brought everything off the ship with them onto the unknown land.
There were a lot of levels on the Mayflower. The place where passengers slept was called the “between decks” area. This area was only about 5ft tall! The level under it was called cargo hold. This was the main storage area for supplies and cargo, which is at the bottom of the ship. The cabin is a place where the crew slept. The area called steerage was where the captain steered the ship. An area towards the front of the front of the ship is called forecastle. This was where certain meals were cooked and food was stored. Researchers are a bit curious on why they chose the names for the levels they chose. They could have picked other names that would have made more sense, but they picked the ones that were a bit odd sounding.
The mayflower had about 25 to 30 crew members on board. The captain was named Christopher Jones. Researchers wonder why Christopher Jones was the captain.
Who Was Squanto?
Squanto was a Native American that was kidnapped to help the pilgrims learn how to do stuff. Squanto was part of the Patuxet tribe.
Squanto was brought to England as a prisoner after Captain George Weymouth searched for gold, but didn’t find any, so he kidnapped some Native Americans, including Squanto. Squanto was a prisoner, but he also learned English. He chose a job as an interpreter then returned back to America in 1614. Researchers wonder why he wanted to be an interpreter, but they realized he was really good at it. Soon after this, a man named Thomas Hunt tricked him and many other Native Americans to board his ship. They all got kidnapped. He wanted to sell them as slaves. When he arrived in Spain, which is where he was taken, some local priests helped him. He lived with the priests for a little while then returned to England. Once again, Squanto was able to go back to America aboard John Smith’s ship. He got back home, realizing his tribe deserted him. It turns out, they all died from a disease called smallpox. When the Pilgrims arrived, he realized they needed help surviving the winter. So he taught them how to plant crops, how to hunt for animals, etc. After this, he continued to be an interpreter. Some historians think that Squanto told lies and fake stories to the people he taught. Some of them came to not trusting him. Squanto later died in 1622 from a fever. His nose started bleeding and was dead within a few days. No one is quite sure what he died from; it may be a mystery forever.
What Was The First
Thanksgiving?
We all know Thanksgiving as a fun holiday where we eat a feast; it’s not all about food though. It’s about thanks!
When the pilgrims first came to America, they barely survived their first winter. Researchers wonder what they did to try to survive. About half of them died. In the spring of 1621 is when Squanto came in. He helped them plant traditional Native American crops. Most of them were corn and pumpkins. In the early autumn of 1621, they had a festival to give thanks to God for survival of the colony for their first harvest🎈!
They had a feast with turkey, cranberry sauce, gravy, stuffing, etc. Historians notice that they only ate things that they could grow and hunt down. Some main things they ate were pumpkin pie and cornbread. They ate these foods because pumpkin and corn were the main vegetables that they grew in their gardens. They had to hunt down the turkey, cook it, and they served it.
Thanksgiving is very different now. Usually Americans celebrate it as a feast for dinner or lunch and it lasts a few hours. In colonial times, it was three days long. THREE DAYS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD! It wouldn’t be surprising if some of them died on the spot from too much food. Also, the feast we have today is not as big as it used to be. The table was long, very long. So, they put as much food on it as possible. In colonial times, they celebrated Thanksgiving at a random date that were close to each other.
Conclusion
In conclusion, you should realize how hard it was to live on the Mayflower, how Squanto helped make a huge part in American history, and what happened at The First Thanksgiving🦃.
Researchers wonder what Plymouth was like when everyone got settled into the colony and Squanto was gone. Anything could have happened, that time was not as known because Thanksgiving was already a normal thing, Squanto was dead, and they were settled in! Do you wonder what happened?
Glossary
Smallpox: A deadly disease that spread.
Crops: Things that they grew, like wheat.
Deserted: Getting left by someone with nobody else around.
Feast: A celebration with food.
Colony: An area or country under control under control of another country.
Interpreter: Someone that teaches others.
Modern: Up-to-date.
Spacious: Very open and there is a lot of space.
