Thanksgiving
Background Information & Activities

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In the United States, Thanksgiving is celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November. Many Americans believe that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621, when the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people shared a three-day feast together. Actually, the Pilgrims did not view this as a Thanksgiving celebration, but more as a celebration of the harvest and a token of appreciation. The Wampanoag played a pivotal role in the Pilgrims' survival of their first winter in the New World. Thanksgiving did not become an official American holiday until the time of the Civil War, when Abraham Lincoln thought it was a way to bring people together. We recommend watching the Abe Lincoln movie together as a review for more info on this president.

The term pilgrim refers to a person who travels for a religious purpose. The Pilgrims we associate with Thanksgiving were a group of people who lived in England in the late 1500s. They were a deeply religious group and struggled with the pagan traditions and beliefs of sixteenth-century England. The Pilgrims wanted more religious freedom and moved to Holland. Later a group of Pilgrims decided to start a colony in the New World. There they thought they could live life as they saw fit. There was already a successful colony in Virginia, and in 1620 a group of 102 Pilgrims set out on the Mayflower and sailed to the New World.

Storms caused the ship to go off course and the Mayflower was unable to reach anywhere near the colony in Virginia. Instead they landed in what is known today as Massachusetts, in a town they called Plymouth. The Pilgrims arrived cold and sick; many members of their group did not survive the voyage. There were abandoned Native American settlements and burial grounds in the area and several Pilgrims tried to scavenge for food and supplies.

Native Americans had lived in the area for hundreds of years. Squanto was a member of the Patuxet tribe, part of the Wamapanoag Confederacy. When previous European settlers came to the area, he and many of his people were kidnapped and forced into slavery. For nine years, Squanto was enslaved in England, where he learned English. When he returned to his homeland in 1614, he and other Native Americans were kidnapped again and sent to Spain. Friars saved a few of the Native Americans and converted them to Christianity. Squanto finally returned home again in 1619 only to discover that most of his tribe and other tribes in the area had died of smallpox, a disease European settlers had brought with them to the New World.

When the Pilgrims arrived in 1620, they were not prepared for the coming winter. Eventually, Squanto helped the Pilgrims survive by teaching them where to fish and hunt and how to raise crops. The Pilgrims accepted Squanto because of his ability to speak English. Squanto's motive to help these European settlers still remains unclear and some historians believe he acted out of self-interest and caused strife within his tribe. Though the facts remain unclear, Squanto's story embodies the Thanksgiving spirit. Your children should understand that Squanto helped the Pilgrims even though he had been enslaved by Europeans and taken from his homeland.

After the first harvest, the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag shared a three-day feast together. Historians are not sure what was served at this feast, but they do know what food was available to the people, including deer, seal, lobster, fish, wild turkey, corn, pumpkin, cabbage, and root vegetables such as parsnips, radishes, and carrots. Foods that many people traditionally associate with Thanksgiving, such as pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes were not served at the first harvest celebration.

Discuss Thanksgiving with your children. What has changed since the Pilgrims first arrived in 1620? What traditions are largely the same? Encourage your children to think about the meaning of Thanksgiving. What are they thankful for?

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Thanksgiving Teacher Activities

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Thank List

Explain to students that Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful. The Pilgrims were thankful for the help of the Wampanoag, especially Squanto. Have students make a thank-you list of people who have helped them through difficult times. Then have them make cards for each person on the list. Make sure students write in complete sentences and describe why they are thankful. Invite students to share their cards with the class and if necessary, help them mail the cards.

Traditions

Remind students that a tradition is something that gets passed on to different generations. For example, sharing a meal of turkey and stuffing with family and friends every Thanksgiving is a tradition in many families. Have students think of other traditions in their family. The tradition does not necessarily have to be part of any holiday celebration. For example, some families go sledding every winter or sing a silly song for a birthday. Have students discuss a tradition in their family. Then have them draw a picture and write a few sentences about it. Collect the pages to make a tradition book.

Meal Plan

Not everything that is part of our Thanksgiving meal today was present at the first harvest celebration between the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims. Research what food was available to the people at the time. Then discuss what students eat during their Thanksgiving meals, such as turkey, stuffing, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes. Have students make inferences and compare their traditional meals to the first harvest meal. Why didn't the Wampanoag and the Pilgrims have pumpkin pie at their celebration? Did they have ovens? Did they have sugar?

Thanksgiving Family Activities

© 1999-2013 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Thanksgiving History

Together with your child, recall previous Thanksgiving holidays. Discuss how they were similar and different. If possible, find photographs of different Thanksgivings to make a scrapbook. Your child can also draw pictures of them if photographs are not available. Collect the pictures in a book and have your child write a few sentences about each holiday. Then as you and your family celebrate more Thanksgiving holidays, add to the book to create a family Thanksgiving history album.

Helping Hand

Thanksgiving is more than just about the food, football, and parades. Encourage your child to think about how Squanto helped the Pilgrims during their first year in the New World. Together with your child, volunteer your time helping other people in need. You may want to work in a shelter serving Thanksgiving meals to the needy or delivering meals to the elderly. You can focus on helping other people in need or improve common areas in the community, such as a park or recreation center.

Harvest Time

The Pilgrims and Wampanoag observed traditions of celebrating the harvest long before they met. Has your child ever witnessed a harvest? If possible, take your child to a farm to experience apple picking or visit a farm and observe workers bale hay or gather vegetables. If a farm experience is not an option, take your child to a local green market and walk around. What vegetables and fruits are available? Are certain kinds of produce available at certain times of the year? Because of the bounty available in modern supermarkets, your child may not realize that produce is associated with particular seasons. Encourage your child to think about why getting food in the winter was difficult for the Pilgrims.