Activity: The First Thanksgiving

In this activity, students will read a retelling of the first Thanksgiving in America and compare the first one with the way they celebrate Thanksgiving Day (a national holiday) today.

Have your students read the following:

You remember the story about our Pilgrim Fathers and their terrible hardships and sufferings at Plymouth; that they had scanty clothing and no stoves in their log houses; that their goods burned up and their food ran short; and that one-half of the people died and were buried under the snow that first winter.

The return of spring, however, revived the hearts of the Pilgrims. Each new day brought new joy: the bright, warm sunshine; the many babbling brooks; the fields of pretty wild flowers; and the chirping of birds, oh, so many of them singing their merry songs. These were the happy voices of nature that seemed to say, “Welcome, kind friends, come live with us and be happy as we.”

Nor must we forget to tell you of another welcome the Pilgrims received.

One day an Indian wandered into the village and said, “Welcome, Englishmen.” He could speak only a little English, but he made the white people understand that he was their friend. Later another Indian, to show his good will, made the Pilgrims a gift of some corn. When it came time he showed the Pilgrims how to plan corn and beans and how to bury dead fish in the rows to make the soil rich. So, in due time, a fine garden was growing about each log house.

At last came the harvest for which the Pilgrims had looked forward so eagerly and hungrily. The pumpkins were gathered and the corn put into shocks. From wild grapes and plums the women had made wine and preserves. The houses had all been finished and made comfortable for winter. Sickness and suffering were no more and the people felt happy and thankful.

So they called a meeting in the little church and decided to have a great feast and a whole day of rejoicing in order to show their thanks to God for this bounteous harvest and for His loving care over them. The governor set the day and every one began to get ready.

Four men went out to hunt game. They brought back wild turkeys, ducks, and geese — enough to last the village a week. Other men went fishing. They came in with great baskets of fish, clams, and oysters.

The women and girls did the baking. They made barley loaves, corn bread, and cookies — whole baskets full. They then baked pies, puddings, and cakes till they had filled the kitchen shelves. There were also large dishes of pickles, salads, and fruits. My! how they must have worked.

Nor did the Pilgrims forget their neighbors, the friendly Indians. They sent word to the Indians about the great feast and invited them to come. This pleased the Indians very much. They wanted to help, too, so they sent their hunters into the woods. The next day, the Indian hunters came into Plymouth carrying five deer for the Thanksgiving dinner.

The first Thanksgiving was a real Thanksgiving. It began with a meeting in the church. There the Pilgrims thanked God for the harvest, for His care over them, and for their new homes in a land where they could worship Him as they thought best.

After church, came the great feast. Long tables were set, with benches for chairs, and on these tables were heaped the good things to eat. And the friendly Indians came — ninety of them — in their bright paint and feathers. What a sight it must have been!

Every one ate and ate until he could eat no more. Still there was food and to spare. Then followed games and merry-making, in which Indians took part. Every one had such a good time that the fun lasted for three days. That was the longest Thanksgiving we have ever known in America.

Next year the Pilgrims had another Thanksgiving, and the next year and the next. So the custom grew. After a while, the keeping of Thanksgiving Day spread all over the country so that today we think of Thanksgiving as one of our best holidays.

The Lincoln Reader

Suggestions

Ask your students to do one or more of the following:

Review the story of our Pilgrim Fathers.
What are among the first birds one would hear in America in the spring?
Learn more about why the Indians might have used dead fish to make the soil rich.
Who was the governor of the colony at the time of the first Thanksgiving in America?
Learn more about wild turkeys, ducks, and geese.
Make a list of food provided for the feast.
Make a list of food you normally have at a Thanksgiving meal.
Compare/contrast the two lists.
What three things did the Pilgrims thank God for?
Make a Thankful list (or use Thankful pumpkins) to make a list of things you can be thankful for.
What “games and merry-making” do you take part in during Thanksgiving Day celebrations?
Younger students can provide an oral narration after reading.
Older students can create an outline of the reading.