Little-Known Historical Facts About the First Thanksgiving

Every year in November, Americans gather around the dinner table to celebrate Thanksgiving, a traditional holiday that celebrates the peaceful relationship between European Pilgrims and the Wampanoag people in the 17th century.

The story is often told in a simple manner, with people from two cultures sharing a harvest feast in a spirit of solidarity and cooperation. However, the real history is more complex and nuanced than that.

In 1620, about 100 Pilgrims left England on the Mayflower, heading for the new land of the Virginia Colony. However, bad weather pushed them to Cape Cod, now in the state of Massachusetts, USA. This was the homeland of the Wampanoag people , a tribe that had lived here for a long time.

A colored woodcut depicting the Wampanoag meeting with colonists at Plymouth in the 1620s. (Source: North Wind Picture Archives).

In the new land, the Pilgrims founded Plymouth Colony and quickly realized they needed help from the natives to survive. An alliance was formed between the two sides, but it was not born of pure goodwill.

The Wampanoag, having been devastated by disease brought by earlier European expeditions, faced the threat of attack from hostile tribes such as the Narragansett. They sought military assistance from the Pilgrims , who possessed more modern weapons such as guns and metal tools.

This alliance, rather than being built on friendship, was clearly strategic. Both sides had their own reasons for cooperating in the dangerous context of that period.

In the fall of 1621, the Pilgrims held a feast to celebrate their first harvest. The Wampanoag were not initially invited. When they heard the English salute, they thought the colony was under attack. Chief Massasoit brought 90 warriors to help, but when they arrived, they realized it was just a celebration.

Instead of retreating, the Wampanoag decided to join in, bringing food like deer and native ingredients, turning the event into a communal feast. The meal lasted several days and included fish, shellfish, eels, corn, greens, and wild berries.

Familiar dishes on the modern Thanksgiving table, such as mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce, did not appear because ingredients were scarce in the colonies at that time.

The 1621 meal was not considered a major event at the time. Harvest celebrations were not uncommon among both the English and the Wampanoag.

The few notes from Governor William Bradford and a letter from a man named Edward Winslow are the main sources that help historians today reconstruct some of the story.

It was not until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln officially declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. He called for unity among the people, making the holiday a symbol of unity and hope.

Since then, Thanksgiving has become an important part of American culture, celebrated regularly every November.