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How did Thanksgiving Day come about?
By Ryan Radford
The actual event of Thanksgiving took place in the harvest season of 1623, according to William Bradford in his book Of Plymouth Plantation. But in order to understand what let up to this, we need to understand a few things.
Historical Context:
The Western world at this time was united in Christendom. Much can be said about the history but essentially there was a common set of European states who lived in peace under the united banner of the Roman Catholic Church. Some of this started to be challenged through the Reformation movement, which sought to correct some of the practices of the church (and hence the State) through a reform and return to Biblical teachings about the Christian faith. Some aspects of this were called “Puritanism”, but they are not exactly the same thing. Puritans were an aspect of the reformation which also sought to “purify” the Church from some of its practices. To give more historical context to what was going on in the world, the English King James Version was completed and went to print in 1611. This lit no small fire in Europe as for the first time in more than 1000 years, the Bible was in the hands of the common believer in a common tongue.
One other thing of note, is you can’t overly simplify what exactly each group believed. The blanket title of Puritanism is placed over many groups, but many took different routes in how or what they wanted to purify. What is key to remember is that with the advent of the Gutenberg printing press as well as the Bible translated into the common tongue, many Christians were receiving the Bible and it’s teaching first hand, as the Church under Christendom had limited it to the Latin language and saw itself as the intermediary between the common folk and the Bible.
The group:
With that in mind, the group who celebrated the first Thanksgiving were practitioners of the Reformed faith. Bradford entitles the first Chapter “Suppression of Religious Liberty in England – First Cause of the Foundation of the New Plymouth Settlement”. You cannot and must not separate the fact that this group of colonists founding the New Plymouth plantation were fleeing persecution from the Church in England as it sought to found a society which they were free to practice their faith in a way which aligned to their convictions based on their love and study of the Word of God. One way I think gives Bradford’s account extra credibility, is the humble way he approached the history he was writing. He attempts to retell this history as he lived it “…as near as my slender judgment can attain to it” (Bradford, loc 90).
The settlement
The Plymouth Plantation was no ordinary plantation. There was already an established colony in Virginia, which the group considered joining, as well as one in French Guiana. Guiana was decided against because of the challenges of the tropics such as disease “noisome pests” (Bradford, loc 358). Virginia was in question because they feared the persecution which they were facing in England would carry over in an established English settlement (loc 366). This group had already fled their homeland and settled in Holland as a temporary place until they could form a new colony (loc 175ff). After facing some treachery from transporters (loc 186), near shipwrecks (loc 203), and separation from each other (loc 211), they settled at Leydon, Holland to await their transport to the new world. These are but the beginnings of the new settlement.
The Journey
After twelve years on Holland, with many challenges overcome, the group had secured their transport and a ship await them. They spent a “Day of Humiliation” in fasting and prayer before departing for their berth. Bradford describes the parting like this:
“What tears gushed from every eye, and pithy speeches pierced each heart! Many of the Dutch strangers who stood on the quay as spectators, could not refrain from tears… But the tide which stays for no man called them away, though loth to part; and their reverent pastor, falling down on his knees, and all with him, with watery cheeks commended them with most fervent prayers to the Lord and His blessing. Then with mutual embraces and many tears, the took leave of one another, -- which proved to be the last leave for many of them” (loc 751).
It was indeed the last leave for many of them. But they weren’t ‘out of the water’ yet.
The ship departed Holland and arrived at Southampton to join another ship, a larger one to transport the goods. But there was a problem. Their agent Robert Cushman had made some changes to their charter which the Pilgrims did not consent to, nor did they approve of. There were two in particular which are highlighted in a letter from the Pilgrims to the Merchants and Adventurers, the company which was founded to support this endeavor.
The two provisions they particularly disliked were provisions 5 and 9:
5. That at the end of the seven years, the capital and profits, viz., the houses, lands, goods and chattels, shall be equally divided among the adventurers and planters; which done, every man shall be free of any debt to any other of the, arising from this adventure.
9. That such persons as die before the seven years be expired, their executors to have their part or share at the division, proportionately to the time of their life in the colony”
The expectation of the Pilgrims was that at the end of the charter, each person would be able to keep what was theirs, and not to have it divided. The idea was that while they would be working for the company, they would also be working for themselves to help establish their homes and farms. They desired two days per week for private use to develop their homesteads (loc 610). It was spelled out in a letter to John Carver and Robert Cushman, their agents:
“…our desire is that you will not bind yourselves and us to any such unreasonable stipulations, viz., that the merchants shall have half the houses and lands at the dividend; and that the settlers shall be deprived of the two days a week for their own work, as agreed upon…” (loc 624).
In an attempt to compromise, they assured the company that the original charter with one modification would suffice, that they would extend the charter were profits not realized in the first seven years (loc 800). It was well received and final preparations were made for the crossing. On August 5, 1620 they sailed from Southampton with much anticipation.
I belabored explaining this because of some problems they experienced later.
Not long after leaving, they had trouble with the smaller of the two ships. It had a leak and they had to port in Dartmouth. Every wonder where certain phrases come from? The boat was described like this “…though she was twice trimmed at Southaampton she is still as open and eaky as a sieve”. To further complicate matters, once the repairs were finished, they had lost a favorable wind and were forced to stay on board using provisions and nobody allowed on shore. In modern day terms, it would be like being stuck on an airport runway. Cushman summed it up in a letter; “Friend, ever we establish a colony, God works a miracle” (loc 933).
September 6th granted them the ‘wind in their sails’ they desperately needed and they were finally on their way. Enjoying the typical sea-sickness, storms, broken masts, and amazingly, only one passenger death. On November 11th, 1620 they arrived in Cape Cod “…at which they were not a little joyful” (loc 974).
The Arrival
This section will discuss the circumstances surrounding the arrival and hardships of the first winter.
The point of this letter has always been to provide a true and accurate depiction of who these people we honor annually were. It is summed up well by this statement in Bradford’s recount “Having found a good haven and being brought safely in sight of land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries of it, again to set their feet upon the firm and stable earth…” (loc 990). Bradford adds:
“But here I cannot but make a pause and stand half-amazed at this poor people’s present condition; and so I think will the reader, too, when he considers it well. Having thus passed the vast ocean, and that sea of troubles before while thy were making their preparations, they now had no friends to welcome them, nor inns to entertain and refresh their weather-beaten bodies, nor houses—much less towns—to repair to” (loc 990).
The reality was that it was now winter in New England and they had a lot of work to do facing the wilderness in front of them. They faced the wild in front, a large ocean behind, and a contentious captain and crew eager to keep enough ship and provisions for the homeward journey next Spring.
“What, the, could now sustain them but the spirit of God, and His grace? Ought not the children of their fathers rightly to say: Our fathers were Englishmen who came over the great ocean, and were ready to perish in this wilderness; but they cried unto the Lord, and He heard their voice, and looked on their adversity…Let them therefore praise the Lord, because He is good, and His mercies endure forever” (loc 1013).
A landing party was formed to locate a bay for the ship to harbor for the winter. They were fortunate enough to stumble upon some corn and beans which they were to use for planting of next years’ crops, they took them from Indian houses they stumbled upon. More landing parties ensued as they attempted to find both harbor and a suitable place to settle. It was during one of these they first came in contact with “Indians”. A battle of arrows and musket balls were exchanged “…till one of them made the bark and splinters of the tree fly about his ears, at which he gave an extraordinary shriek, and away all of them went” (loc 1077). Without attempt to judge from the future, it is safe to say their initial encounter with the locals was less than welcoming. However, by mid-December, they had found a harbor suitable for their ship to winter in. On December 15th they started making their way to the harbor, arrived on December 16th, “…and on the 25th day they began to erect the first house for common use, to receive them and their goods” (loc 1101).
The first winter was very hard. By March 1621 more than half of the company had died from exposure or disease. Bradford describes it like this: “Of all the hundred odd persons, scarcely fifty remained, and sometimes two or three persons died in a day. In the time of worst distress, there were but six or seven sound persons, who, to their great commendation be it spoken, spared no pains night or day, but with great toil and at the risk of their own health, fetched wood, made fires, prepared food for the sick...in a word di all the homely and necessary services for them which dainty and queasy stomachs cannot endure to hear mentioned; and all this they did willingly an cheerfully, without the least grudging, showing their love to the friends and brethren; a rare example, and worth to be remembered” (loc 1139). This stood in stark contrast to the sailors who “…would not risk their lives for the sick among them, lest they should be infected by coming to help them in their cabins; if they died, let them die!” (loc 1155).
Assistance and challenges from the locals
Their encounters with the natives had not been very great to this point. They had been attacked, had tools stolen, and were quite leery of their neighbors. All of that changed on March 16th, 1621 when a certain Indian approached them, speaking English well and describing the area and its history. His name was Samoset. He informed them about another Indian named Squanto who spoke even better than he did. A gift exchanged occurred and ‘formal relations’ were established when their tools were returned and their Sachem Massasoyt came to visit with Squanto as his translator. They formed a peace pact which endured to the time Bradford finished his book. The gist of it was as follows:
• Not to harm each other
• Violators would be turned over for justice
• They would not steal from each other and would return stolen goods
• Mutual aid if they were attacked unjustly
• This peace treaty would be advertised to the neighbors
• They would visit unarmed
Massasoyt returned to his place, Squanto stayed and “…was their interpreter, and became a special instrument sent of God for their good beyond their expectation. He showed them how to plant their corn, where to take fish and other commodities, and guided them to unknown places, and never left them till he died” (loc 1178).
The Spring of 1621 was the first plant in the new Plymouth Colony. As mentioned by Bradford, Squanto was a great help to them. Think of him as the local tour guide, well acquainted with the area. Squanto taught them about how to cultivate the corn, as well as the need to re-fertilize the depleted soil. He showed them when the fish runs were, and the like.
In April, during the planting, their Governor died, and William Bradford was elected to serve as his replacement, with Isaac Allerton as his assistant.
It should be mentioned, that the Indians weren’t thriving in this environment, and the settlers helped them solve a major hurdle: Abundant food. The arrival of the simple hoe greatly helped in this endeavor (loc 1249)
A second Indian joined the colony named Hobbamok, who was a faithful friend to the colony for all of his days.
Summer came to an end, and it was time for harvest. The harvest was small, but there was now an abundance of fish, game, fowl all of which led to unfeigned reports of their plenty. In November, a surprise ship arrived bring an additional 35 colonists, “…at which they rejoiced not a little” (loc 1296). The new arrivals were mostly young adventurous men, ill equipped and perhaps a bit wild. The ship returned with some beaver furs that had been traded for as the first produce of the colony sent as payment to the company in England.
Some historians date the first Thanksgiving here, due to the abundance of food harvested not from the farms, but from the streams and woods. Bradford indicates that they were not out of the water yet. The new arrivals were paired up with families, then they “…took an exact account of all their provisions in store, and proportioned the same to the number of persons a, and found that it would not hold out above six months at half allowance, and hardly that” (loc 1357). The Summer of plenty quickly turned to the Autumn of want.
To add insult to injury, the local Narragansett tribe sent the colony a declaration of war in the form of a bundle of arrows tied together with snake skin. The colonists sent their reply: a snake skin full of musket holes. It was however a wakeup call for the colonists who improved their defenses.
It is also worth mentioning, a Mr. Weston (mentioned later) ended up (in 1622) settling in Massachusetts Bay, but his colony was failing miserably. Though amply supplied, they squandered what they had, had poor relations with the natives, and eventually fell into extreme need. “…when they began to want many sold their clothes and bed-coverings; others, --so depraved were they, --became servants to the Indians, cutting them wood and fetching them water for a capful of corn; others fell to plain stealing from the Indians of which they complained grievously (loc 1627). Bradford learned from his friend Massasoyt that many tribes were planning a massacre against Weston’s colony for their treatment, and would then attack the New Plymouth Colony in preemptive fear they would avenge Weston.
A rescue party was sent North headed by Captain Myles Standish. He attacked the conspirators, and gave the starving men all of the corn he could spare. War was staved, but this shows the contrast between the Pilgrims and other settlers of the colony.
Bureaucratic challenges and overcoming them
The famous Mayflower Compact was drawn up prior to this, while still aboard the ship. It is a short statement of intention, affirmation, and agreement. The agreement was “…unto which we promise all due submission and obedience” to the Colony. The new settlers weren’t part of that compact, and Bradford recalls an amusing incident:
“On Christmas Day, the Governor called the people out to work as usual; but most of the new company excused themselves and said it was against their consciences to work on that day. So the Governor told the, if thy made it a matter o conscience, he would spare them till they were better informed…but on returning from work at noon he found them at play in the street…he took their games away and told them it was against his conscience that they should play and others work…Since then, nothing has been attempted in that way, at least openly” (loc 1373-1381).
There were also challenges across the pond. They were receiving conflicting letters from different stakeholders in the company. One Mr. Weston had sold his stake and advised the colony to disband. Others sent letters advising Bradford not to trust Mr. Weston, nor associate with the men he was sending.
The harvest of 1621 was again minimal. Most of the corn they had they traded for, but as mentioned before, the natives weren’t having bumper crops either (who said farming is easy). It was late Summer and Squanto passed away. “His death was a great loss” (loc 1605). The colonists meanwhile were dealing with the Weston colony mishaps and the lack of supplies and support from the company in England.
Bradford decided action was necessary to ensure the future of the colony. They had sponsors to pay back, mouths to feed, and their first two harvests were insufficient for their goals. “So they began to consider how to raise more corn, and obtain a better crop than they had done, so that they might not continue to endure the misery of want” (loc 1673). The charter and Mayflower compact were set up with the common good in mind, but it was not working out and it was decided to try something different. “At length after much debate, the Governor, with the advice of the chief among them, allowed each man to plant corn for his own household…this was very successful. It made all hands very industrious, so that much more corn was planted than otherwise would have been by any means” (loc 1673). When the colonists were planting corn for the company, it was a drudgery. Hard work was not rewarded because all went into a common store. Now the colonists had incentive to work hard. Bradford summarizes it like this:
“The failure of this experimental of communal service, which was tried for several years, and by good and honest men proves the emptiness of the theory of Plato and other ancients, applauded by some of later times,--that the taking away of private property, and the possession of it in community, by a commonwealth would make a state happy and flourishing; as if they were wiser than God. For in this instance, community of property (so far as it went) was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much employment which would have been to the general benefit and comfort. For the young men who were most able and fit for service objected to being forced to spend their time and strength in working for other men’s wives and children, without any recompense” (loc 1681).
They weren’t out of the water yet. Crops don’t grow overnight, so they scavenged whatever food they could. They found any maize “…as good as a feast; and not only lacked bread for dayse at a time, but sometimes for two of three months continuously were with bread or any kind of corn” (loc 1698). They fished and hunted to supplement and divided what little food was available among everybody.
The spring and summer brought more ships and settlers. Some related to the original settlers, some not ready. What the new settlers did bring was provisions and supplies. There were fears that the newcomers would have rights to the corn that each had planted; equally the newcomers feared the fresh provisions would be wiped out due to the great need. The Governor agreed to the individual use plan, and the original settlers would have no claim on the provisions, save what they purchased or bartered for.
Success and Thanksgiving
Harvest season arrived in the late Summer of 1623. It was mentioned before that there is scholarly debate over the actual date of the first Thanksgiving. Let’s now look at the words of Bradford to see if this date makes more sense that the miserable harvest of 1621:
“Harvest time had now come, and then instead of famine, God gave them plenty, and the face of things was changed, to the rejoicing of the hearts of many for which they blessed God. And the effect of their particular planting was well seen, for all had, one way or another pretty well to bring the year about, and some of the abler sort and more industrious had to spare, and to sell to others,--in fact, no general want of famine has been amongst them since, to this day”
The bumper crop which would sustain them didn’t come because friends like Squanto showed them how to plant and fertilize, though they contributed. It didn’t come about until Bradford and other leaders had the clarity to see something was wrong with the communal experiment, and they had the courage to make a change which would eventually launch a nation into a level of prosperity of which the world has never seen.
How we can honor them today
The Thanksgiving holiday could focus on a lot of aspects of the establishment of the Plymouth Colony. One could focus on the hardships faced with the climate, raw land, and treachery locally and abroad. One could also could focus on the eventually successful harvest and factors which led up to it, such as innovations and adjustments to the charter and trade of the colonists. But the most important thing one must understand about this colony is that it was a church plant and their devotion to the God of the Bible and worship of Him were central to everything they did. This truth is central to the context of who they were and what Thanksgiving was all about.
The work this author did on this paper was to defend a tradition and an institution which is nearly 400 years old. Bradford did well to record the events and experiences so we can look back and see what happened for ourselves. In particular, some songs celebrating Thanksgiving are being challenged because they affirm the Christian narrative. But if we are to honor the tradition passed down to us, we should be able to do so with historic integrity. The original settlers were God-fearing people who sought to honor God with their lives. That has nothing to do with the separation of church and state.
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