Without a doubt, second only to Christmas, Thanksgiving is one of Americans' favorite dolidays. That wonderful aroma of chopped celery mingled with baking turkey and the sweet savory smell of apple and pumpkin pie bring joy and happiness to many of them at this time of the year. However, some only know it as another reason to pack up and visit the relatives, while other see it as a time to gorge themselves on a "once in a year" meal and still there is the relentiess calendar reminding us of the dwindling shopping days left until Christmas. But what is the true history of Thanksgiving? Beyond the Pilgrims and Indians, what significance did this day hold in American history that has carried it through the years?A pilgrim is a person who makes a journey for religious reasons and in 1608 a group of people in search of their own church left England and moved to the Netherlands. Unfortunately, their years in the Netherlands didn't produce the freedom they had hoped to find. Although the people were kind to them, they wished to remain English and saw their children becoming more and more like the people of the Netherlands. Wanting to keep their heritage intact, they decided to move again. They looked for a place where they could have their own church and live as English men and women.
The London Company was looking for settlers for the New World of North America. They were willing to pay the cost of starting a settlement. In exchange, the Pilgrims would repay them for seven years with food, furs, and other goods from the new land. With their plans made, one hundred people crowned onto a tiny ship called the Mayflower and set sail to America, hoping to land in Virginia. After enduring more than 60 days at sea and because of storms and high winds, the Mayflowers did not land in Virginia as planned. They had been blown about 100 miles off course, landing on the sandy beaches of Cape Cod on November 9, 1620.
This unfortunate mistake caused a new host of problems for the Pilgrims. The London Company did not own land that far north and the Pilgrims did not have permission to settle there. They couldn't turn back and it was too late in the year to try and reach Virginia. Snow had already fallen. Winter was coming. Before anyone left the ship an agreement was made. The Mayflower Compact set up the first government for the new colony. The 41 men on board the Mayflower signed it and chose John Carver to be their governor.
The Pilgrims settle an area just a little west of Cape Cod. It was called Plymouth. It had a great harbor and much of the land had already been cleared by the Indians. Despite the good location of their new settlement, the Pilgrims were woefully unprepared for the conditions. Their first winter in the new land was a hard one. They did not have enough food and by March over half of the colonists had died. Following the death of John Carver, a new governor was elected. The determined colonists elected William Bradford.
In March, shortly after Bradford was elected, a tall Indian by the name of Samoset entered Plymouth colony. He greeted a shocked Bradford and the remaining colonists in the English he had learned from fishermen who came to North America before. Samoset introduced the Pilgrims to the local Indians who lived in New England. They wanted to make friends with the English. Massasoit, the leader of the Indians, and Governor Bradford were successful in creating a treaty that kept the peace for 50 years.
Squanto, another English speaking Indian, stayed on and lived at the settlement. He taught the settlers to rake clams at low tide and how to tap the sap of the Maple trees to make maple syrup. He taught them which plants were good to eat and how to grow corn. The settlers had never seen corn before. He also showed them the best places to hunt deer and beaver. William Bradford believed that Squanto was a sign that God had answered their prayers.
Spirits were high for the settlers as they watched their young corn crops spring from the ground, but as the summer months dragged on there was little to no rain in their first summer in 1621. The dusty ground was parched and the plants started to dry out in the sun. With the starvation and harshness of the previous winter still fresh in their minds, everyone worried. They set aside a day of prayer to ask God to bring rain to their land. Bradford wrote, "The answer was gracious and speedy. Sweet and gentle showers began to fall that same evening."
The crops not only survived, but thrived. Their harvest was good that autumn. The Pilgrims would have ample food to get them through the next winter. The Mayflower returned to England carrying a small load of beaver skins that were sold at auction to help pay off the colonists' debt to the London Company.
The Colonists had asked God for his help and, without failing, God provided. They again set aside a day of thanksgiving. They invited their new friends and neighbors to share in their good fortune. Massasoit joined them with about 90 more Indians and they gave thanks to God for the good harvest. Their feast lasted for three days. On their menu were lobsters, clams, eels, wild turkey, duck, geese, cornbread, fruit, berries, and other foods. The colonists had much to be thankful for. They thanked God for their lives, newly found friendships, good harvests, and the blessings of building the community of their dreams.
This is the origin of our annual Thanksgiving Day celebration. Congress of the United States has proclaimed National Days of Thanksgiving to Almighty God many times.
So it is that on Thanksgiving Day each year, Americans give thanks to Almighty God for all His blessings and mercies toward us throughout the year.
