The Forgotten Lesson of the First Thanksgiving Feast

Most aboard the wayward ship were good people who preferred the rule of law and an extra (European) servant or two to keep things orderly. They comprised religious separatists (the "Pilgrims") seeking religious freedom, and secular economic migrants (the "Strangers") searching for financial opportunity. They were enticed by a group of English merchants – the Merchant Adventurers – who had built a ship, created a legal agreement with the British crown, and needed to board some passengers. The recruitment process was based on contracts with the Virginia Company to set up a colony in northern Virginia.

During the voyage, the settlers had created and signed the Mayflower Compact. It established a new set of laws for self-governance, a way to ensure all members, particularly the "Strangers," would abide by the rules for the general good of the newborn colony.

In the blustery winter that followed, crude houses were constructed. There were fights, thefts, and a couple of sword duels among the indentured. Suffering masters pleaded with the governor for lenient sentences, either out of pity or need for manpower. Still, the intrepid group stayed, facing hunger and the vast unknown of the wooded territory. All the while the locals, known as the Wampanoag tribe, allowed the colonists to get their bearings. A political pact soon developed with Wampanoag leader Ousamequin, who wanted to form an alliance with the English to fend off his tribal enemies.

The Lesson of Thanksgiving

The first year in their unforgiving home soon brought warmer weather, and their crops grew. The colonists built a fort to keep the Spanish and French on notice, and new faces arrived from England. Houses were erected, stores were built, and the communal style of living flourished inside the fenced walls of the Plymouth Colony. A bountiful harvest was to be celebrated – mostly thanks to Tisquantum, often called Squanto. So, they set aside time “to rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors.” Other natives showed up, gifting five deer, and stayed for three days, praising God, the Spirit, thanking one another and playing games.

Perhaps there is a lesson to be learned from the Pilgrims and the natives, who, in spite of their different lifestyles and beliefs, understood that discord would result in dissolution and unity would bolster strength. Now, it seems unity and its pursuit hang by the barest of threads.

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Author Sarah Cowgill is a proud descendant of Edward Doty — a Stranger, a rabble-rouser, who sought a better life and found it, nurtured it in good and nefarious ways, who made his mark (X). He was at that big party with the Wampanoags, and she's sure he is celebrating with Squanto somewhere this Thanksgiving.