Brief History of Thanksgiving

When the Pilgrims came to Plymouth in 1620 aboard the Mayflower, they had already agreed to abide by the “Mayflower Compact” signed while crossing the ocean and which obligated them to pass just and equal laws for the general good of the colony.

As Puritans, they also carried with them a deep and abiding faith in the Hebrew Bible, and believed that the laws in Leviticus were obligatory for them as well as for the Jews. It is no surprise, therefore, that after the hardships of that first, terrible winter where only 50 survived of the 110 who left England, that the then Governor, William Bradford, declared a day of Thanksgiving, saying “Our fathers cried unto Him and He heard their voice and looked on their adversity” (Deuteronomy 26:7). Knowledgeable of the Jewish scriptures, and considering themselves chosen like the Jews of old, they saw the Festival of Weeks (Sukkot) as a model on which to base their celebration of God’s mercy.

Bradford could not believe his eyes when a Wampanoag Indian by the name of Samoset walked into their devastated camp in March of that terrible year and spoke an English which he had learned from British fishermen along the coast. He introduced the starving colonists to his friend Squanto, who spoke even better English after having lived in England for over 10 years. It was Squanto who actually taught them how to survive the bitter Massachusetts winter by growing corn, catching fish, and tapping maple syrup from the appropriate trees in time before the next onset of winter. As the spring progressed, the colonists recovered, and to thank God and the Indians for their help, Bradford declared a three day Thanksgiving holiday that Squanto, the local Wampanoag chief Massasoit, and 90 braves attended. In the spirit of the occasion, and understanding the dire straits of the colonists, they also brought most of their own food!