Thanksgiving is a holiday held on the fourth Thursday in November. In 2011 it falls on November 24th. This holiday is nationally recognized to honor the early settlers and their bountiful harvest that they feasted on. This first harvest and subsequent feast later became known as Thanksgiving.
Native Americans play a very fundamental part in the history of Thanksgiving. Long before settlers came to what is now known as the United States, Native American tribes inhabited these promise lands. It is reported the Wampanoag Tribe inhabited what is now known as southeastern Massachusetts and eastern Rhode Island. This tribe was very self-sufficient and was able to hunt, gather and harvest on their own. They adapted to the land and also taught settlers about their ways of survival. They showed the settlers how to fish, hunt and survive on their own.
SEASON 3 PREMIERE
Some reports state that European settlers visited the land of the Wampanoag Tribe long before the arrival of the Mayflower. However, what we think of as "settlers" were people from Plymouth Colony. Plymouth Colony comprised itself of a group of individuals, English Protestants, who wanted to separate from the Church of England. History reports show a ship carrying 101 people (men, women and children) spent more than 60 harsh days at sea, eagerly traveling to inhabit the new world. They were aiming for what is now New York city but instead landed near Cape Cod due to strong winds.
The first Thanksgiving is reported to be in 1621 when the Plymouth colonists, or settlers, and the Wampanoag Indians shared an Autumn harvest feast that lasted three days. The first Thanksgiving meal consisted of some things we still eat today and some that are not so traditional. The first Thanksgiving menu included a lot of delicious seafood. Since seafood was so accessible to the Indians and settlers they dined on cod, bass, lobster, oysters, mussels, clams and eels. They also dined on other proteins such as: chickens, pigs, goats, and eggs.
Most of the grain they consumed on the first Thanksgiving was from corn. Other likely vegetables to make their appearance at this delicious gathering were: collard greens, spinach, parsnips, squashes, carrots and onions. They also dined upon various nuts such as: walnuts, chestnuts, acorns and hickory nuts.
After the first Thanksgiving, it was not proclaimed a holiday until 1863. During the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the national holiday of Thanksgiving to be held each November.
The History of Thanksgiving for Kids! SEASON 3 PREMIERE
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