The Story of the First Thanksgiving

The People at the First Thanksgiving

Pilgrims:

There were 53 pilgrims at the first

Thanksgiving. This number included twenty-two men, thirteen young

children, fourteen teenagers, and four married women. Interestingly,

all of the pilgrims who were part of the first Thanksgiving were

survivors of the Mayflower voyage. By the time the first Thanksgiving

occurred, the Mayflower passengers were the only settlers living in New

England. The next ship, the Fortune, arrived shortly after the first

Thanksgiving.

Indians:

According to pilgrim Edward Winston's

firsthand account, as written in a

letter, there were about ninety Indians

who attended the first Thanksgiving. The

chief of this particular Indian tribe

was Massasoit, which was also disclosed

in Winston's letter. The Indians hunted

and killed five deer for the feast,

which they brought back to share with

the pilgrims.

The First Thanksgiving Feast

In the two letters that describe the first Thanksgiving, only a handful of different foods are specifically named. Here is a complete list of the foods mentioned:

Wheat

Indian Corn

Barley

Fowl (including turkey)

Deer

However, according to historical analysis, the pilgrims had a more foods available to them at the time, including traditional Thanksgiving foods such as squashes, pumpkins, leeks and corn meal.

Common Misconceptions

Thanksgiving: A Product of the 19th Century