The First Thanksgiving Myth vs. Fact

1. The First Thanksgiving Myth vs. Fact

2. The Colonists were referred to as Pilgrims. Myth Fact

3. Myth!! They referred to themselves as Puritans or Separatists. They were not referred to as Pilgrims until the early 20th Century.

4. Thanksgiving was not celebrated every year until the mid 19th Century. Fact Myth

5. Fact!! Thanksgiving wasn’t celebrated yearly until it was declared a National Holiday in the mid 19th century by Abraham Lincoln. During the Civil War, Lincoln used it to build troop morale and rally citizen support.

6. Colonists embarked on a land of great wilderness but were still able to clear and cultivate land. Myth Fact

7. Myth!! The Colonists set up camp among the plantations already cleared by and cultivated by the Wampanoag.

8. Natives had been living in North America since after the Great Ice Age. Additionally, the Spanish and Dutch had made earlier voyages to America in attempt to colonize. Myth Fact

9. Fact!! Natives inhabited America since around 15 - 25,000 BC. The Colonists did not settle America. Attempts at colonization go back as far as 1526 by the Spanish and the Dutch in 1614. The 1st English settlement was in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607.

10. About 10 – 20 million Natives inhabited North America in 1620. Myth Fact

11. Fact!! As little as 1 million Natives living in North America in the early 17th Century is a statistic fictitiously written in many history textbooks. The land was hardly scarce of indigenous peoples.

12. Wampanoags such as Squanto volunteered to help the Colonists. Myth Fact

13. Myth!! Squanto, along with 26 other Wampanoag Natives were kidnapped, kept as slaves and forced to help the Colonists. Squanto traveled many times between America and Europe where he was taught English in order to better serve the Colonists.

14. The Indians freely gave up their land and plantations to the Colonists. Myth Fact

15. Myth!! The Colonists gained much of the Wampanoag land as Small Pox devastated entire Native villages. The Natives had not been exposed to such diseases and succumbed easily. Approximately 80 - 90% of the Natives perished.

16. The Indians had never seen such a feast! Myth Fact

17. Myth!! The Colonists had probably never seen such a feast since all the food was indigenous to America. Popcorn and Cranberry Sauce were not served. We are not even sure if Turkey was on the menu.

18. The Mayflower Compact had very little bearing on our forefathers creation of the Constitution. Fact Myth

19. Fact!! Although it was the first document outlining a democracy in America, our forefathers did not base our Constitution on the proclamations in the Mayflower Compact.

20. The Colonists participated in grave robbing, stealing, murder and even chemical warfare against the Wampanoag people. Myth Fact

21. Fact!! The Colonists robbed graves for gold, stole corn and beans. They also committed murder…killing Natives with technologically advanced weapons. They even participated in chemical warfare - using poison.

22. Perspectives from the Wampanoag and the Colonists The Wampanoag and the Colonists had different points of view. It can be hard for people with different points of view to understand each other. The words in the following timeline are those of actual people who lived back then. Historians have found writings from both the Wampanoag and the Colonists. Path to the First Thanksgiving