The First Thanksgiving
Table of Contents
Table of contents………………………………….....Page#2
Questions…………………………………………..Page#3
Introduction………………………………………...Page#4
Chapter #1: History of the settlement………………...Page#5
Chapter #2: Why the First Thanksgiving happened……Page#7
Drawing of Squanto………………………………....Page#8
Chapter #3: Geography in Plymouth…………………Page#9
Chapter #4:The food eaten at the first Thanksgiving….Page#11
Conclusion………………………………………....Page#13
Fun facts………………………………………….Page#14
Map of Massachusetts……………………………..Page# 15
Glossary…………………………………………...Page#16
About the author…………………………………..Page#18
Answers…………………………………………..Page#19
Back cover………………………………………...Page#20
Let’s see if your paying attention. While you are reading, look for the answers to these Questions:
How long was the Pilgrims voyage to the new world?
What are the Wampanoags?
Who is Squanto?
What happened to the rest of the Wampanoags?
What was the average winter temperature in Plymouth?
What food did the Wampanoags bring to the first Thanksgiving?
The answers to the questions are on the last page. Good luck!
Introduction
After several terrible months at sea on the Mayflower, the ship with all the Pilgrims, finally arrived at the new world. They landed in a place they named Plymouth. This English settlement had many important events. The first Thanksgiving happened here. There are interesting facts why this event happened. The Geography impacted a lot of this settlement. The food eaten at the first Thanksgiving was very different then what you would eat now in 2017. If you want to learn more, read this!
Chapter#1
History of the settlement
The 3rd English settlement and the 2nd successful English settlement, Plymouth, was caused by King James of England. King James of England said that everyone had to go to the same church. Some people refused to do this. These people were called separatists. So the separatists sailed to the new world on a ship called the Mayflower looking for religious freedom. Another name for the separatists are the Pilgrims.
This settlement was settled in 1620 - 1621. The first Thanksgiving happened in 1621. The time at sea was from September 1620 to November 1620. Compare that to how long it was for the Jamestown colonists to get to Jamestown! The voyage to Plymouth took 2 months, and the voyage to Jamestown took 4 months!
Before the pilgrims went ashore, they created an agreement called the Mayflower Compact (Compact means agreement). This is a plan of government to help the pilgrims live peacefully. Then, the Pilgrims elected a governor.
In March 1621, Squanto, a Native-American from the nearby Wampanoag tribe came along and changed this settlement completely. The winter before was terrible. They couldn’t grow crops, it was very cold, and six or seven colonists were strong enough to care for others. Then Squanto came and turned this around. He taught the Pilgrims how to plant corn, catch fish, and get maple syrup from maple trees. “The Pilgrims were so grateful that they thought that Squanto was sent by God.” Says author of history alive.
Chapter #2
Why The First Thanksgiving Happened
The first Thanksgiving was a harvest of all the collected food the Pilgrims and Wampanoags had collected from when they got to Plymouth to Thanksgiving. They did this to give thanks and celebrate what they have hunted and grown. They had traveled to the new world with unknown places not knowing what it would be like there. One year later they were eating a lot of food with family and friends safe and sound. That is what they are thankful for.
Another reason why they were thankful was because of Squanto, a Native-American from the nearby Wampanoag tribe. Squanto came and turned this settlement upside down.
He taught the Pilgrims how to plant crops, catch fish, and other good things. Some people have said that this would not have been a successful settlement if Squanto hadn’t come to the Pilgrims. All the Pilgrims could have gotten sick, causing this settlement to be unsuccessful. Squanto taught the Pilgrims how to catch fish and get more food. If this had not happened, the Pilgrims might have starved to death.
If that occurred, I would not celebrate Thanksgiving!
This is a drawing of the Native-American that “saved” the settlement of Plymouth, Squanto.
Chapter #3
Geography in Plymouth
Plymouth, Massachusetts is located in the north of the Equator and left of the Prime Meridian. It is in the United States of America in the state of Massachusetts. It is across the Cape Cod Bay near what is known as the Plymouth Rock.
The climate in Plymouth from 1620 - 1621 is warm and moist in the summer and cold and snowy in the winter. The average winter temperature is about 30 degrees fahrenheit. The average summer temperatures in Plymouth is about 80 degrees fahrenheit. This is a 50 degree difference! So the fall and spring average temperature should be about 50 degrees fahrenheit.
The winters in Plymouth were cold and snowy. The summers in Plymouth were hot and moist. At Thanksgiving, one of the main hunted foods were deer, so the weather must have been good for deer and other eastern woodland creatures. Plymouth was in the eastern woodlands of the United States of America.
The weather impacts were HUGE on Plymouth. The snowy winter weather is one of the biggest reasons why the Pilgrims got sick. It was too late and cold in the year to plant crops, so the Pilgrims did not have much food. The cold weather got people sick and only six or seven Pilgrims were strong enough to care for others. “About half of the 102 Pilgrims died in the winter of 1620” says the author of History Alive books.
Chapter#4
The food eaten at the first Thanksgiving
The food that was eaten was very, very, very, different then what you would eat now in 2017. In 2017, you eat turkey, mashed potatoes, and more at Thanksgiving. In 1621, they ate very different “food”.
The main hunted food was deer. Deer was one of the only hunted food because it was getting very cold, so the animals would hibernate. The Wampanoags killed five deer and brought the deer to cook and eat. The Wampanoags also brought other hunted food from the wild.
The Pilgrims brought the crops that they had grown since they had got there. Also, there was stuffed bird. Who would eat that now in two thousand seventeen? Another thing that was on the menu for the first Thanksgiving was wildfowl. Wildfowl is duck or goose. Again, who eats that now in two thousand seventeen?
One of the only things that was on the menu for people eat now in two thousand seventeen is corn. The Pilgrims grew corn and kept it for this event. Porridge was on the menu for the first Thanksgiving. Porridge is boiled legumes in milk or water until it becomes thick.
People have wondered, “How many cooks were there for the first Thanksgiving?” I do not know the answer to that but there must have been a lot of cooks because there was so much food!
Swan was also on the menu for the first Thanksgiving. Again, who in this world eats swan as a meal in the year two thousand seventeen?
There is tons of more food that was on the menu for the first Thanksgiving, but the list is so long!
For one last time, who eats all of the foods that this book mentioned (besides corn) in the year two thousand seventeen?
Conclusion
The first Thanksgiving caused some Americans to start to like turkey, it also made an American holiday, made people care for others and give thanks. The history of the Plymouth settlement was very interesting and caused many cool and important events. The first Thanksgiving happened for interesting reasons that will interest you. The geography in Plymouth made big impacts on the important events. The food that was eaten at the first Thanksgiving was VERY different compared to what you eat now in 2017. What do you think would happen to the Pilgrims if Squanto did not come?
Fun facts
The rest of the Wampanoags got wiped out by a
disease from french and English fishermen.
It was too late in the year to grow crops
when the Pilgrims got to Plymouth.
The Pilgrims first sighted land on
November 9th, 1620.
The Mayflower first stopped on Cape Cod and then sailed across the Cape Cod Bay to Plymouth.
The Wampanoags signed an agreement
to not hurt the Pilgrims but protect them.
Zero women signed the
Mayflower compact.
Map of Massachusetts
Glossary
- Mayflower: The ship that carried all the Pilgrims to Plymouth
- Plymouth: The 3rd English settlement and town in Massachusetts
- Thanksgiving: An American holiday and the Pilgrim’s harvest of all their food.
- 1620-1621: The years that Plymouth was settled in.
- Jamestown colonists: The people that settled a colony called Jamestown. This was before Plymouth was settled.
- Squanto: A Native-American from the nearby Wampanoag tribe
- Wampanoag: The local Native-American tribe
- Equator: The imaginary line that separates the Northern and Southern hemisphere
- Prime Meridian: The imaginary line that separates the Eastern and Western Hemisphere
- United States of America: A country in North America
- Massachusetts: One of the fifty states in the United States of America
- Cape Cod Bay: A bay that stretches from cape cod to Plymouth
- Plymouth rock: A famous rock that is on Plymouth
About the Author
My name is Liam and I am 10 years old and in the 5th grade. I am the 2nd oldest child in my family. I have two brothers and a sister. I love to watch Baseball and American Football on TV, and I play the sports of soccer, baseball, basketball, and tennis. I have written many narratives and informational writing but only two have been finalized.
Answers to questions on page#3
#1 #2
Two months The nearby Native-American
tribe
#3 #4
A Native-American They got wiped out
from the nearby by a disease from french
Wampanoag tribe and English fishermen
#5 #6
30 degrees fahrenheit Deer and other
hunted food
For sale $12.99
