Copyright © 2002 by Kristin Madden
It's the season of changing colors; crisp air filled with the scent of wood smoke; and festivals offering wine, hot cider, and apple pie. At this time of equal day and night, we give thanks for the harvest that will sustain us through the dark winter months.

Origin of the first Thanksgiving

All Americans study the Pilgrims at Thanksgiving time in school. We trace our hands and color in the fingers to make turkeys. We make fake Pilgrim hats out of construction paper, and we learn about the Mayflower and Plymouth Rock. By the time we reach adulthood, few of us remember what that whole thing was really all about anyway.

Accepted History

The Pilgrims, or Puritans, were a sect of Christians known as Separatists or Brownists in England. The term "Pilgrims" was not associated with them until the late 1700s. They were an interesting people, following the teachings of a man named Robert Browne. Their belief was that the only true churches were formed by groups of likeminded people coming together by choice. When this happened, Separatists put together an organizing compact and elected their clergy. They believed they were the chosen people of God.

These Pilgrims wanted to be left alone, and were willing to leave other religions alone as well. They were seen as a radical sect in England and were persecuted for it. In search of tolerance and peace, they left England first for Holland. In 1605, many of these Pilgrims left Holland with almost 40 people. They boarded the Speedwell ship and met up with the Mayflower in England. In all, about 120 adventurous people set sail for the "New World." Unfortunately, their adventures consisted mainly of leaks in the Speedwell, and they had to return to England twice.

Finally, they left the Speedwell behind and set forth from Plymouth, an English port, in September 1605 with 102 people, including men, women, and children. This was far from an easy passage, and two people died. However, one child was born at sea and another was born before his parents set foot on land, so 102 disembarked in present-day Massachusetts.

The London Company had granted these people lands near the Hudson River, but winds blew them off course, and they took it as a sign from God that this was where they were to settle. Before establishing a settlement, the Mayflower Compact was drawn up and signed by forty-one men. The compact was a plan for government in their new home. The big rush to get this signed was because not all the settlers were Pilgrims, or Separatists. The Separatists feared trouble from the others because they were not on the land granted to them.

A suitable area was found on the site of a former native village. They moved the ship and all their belongings into Plymouth Harbor and established the Plymouth Colony. In the following spring, the Mayflower itself returned to England.