It's Thanksgiving week! Let's observe this good holiday and give thanks for our blessings! . . despite Christmas music at the mall 😏
Thankfulness in 1621
President Lincoln started a recurrent, scheduled Thanksgiving holiday in America. But that wasn't the first time Americans observed a day of giving thanks to God.
You probably know that the ship Mayflower brought colonists to the coast of North America in November (November!) of 1620, and that about half of them died that first winter (I'd guess the rest were very, very uncomfortable).
But the next summer was productive, and the remaining 40 pilgrims plus 90 Indians enjoyed a three-day autumn feast together. Here's one of the first-person accounts of that feast, taken from a letter:
"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. . . [A]mongst our recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us . . their greatest king Massasoit, with some 90 men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted . . . [B]y the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty." (from The Book of Thanksgiving by Paul Dickson)
But the next summer was productive, and the remaining 40 pilgrims plus 90 Indians enjoyed a three-day autumn feast together. Here's one of the first-person accounts of that feast, taken from a letter:
"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. . . [A]mongst our recreations, we exercised our arms, many of the Indians coming amongst us . . their greatest king Massasoit, with some 90 men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted . . . [B]y the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty." (from The Book of Thanksgiving by Paul Dickson)
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