Here’s What Really Happened at the First Thanksgiving. Share: Want to know more about the Pilgrims? What Really Happened on the First Thanksgiving? Share on Twitter. It was the first National Day of Mourning, a day to mark the losses Native Americans suffered as the early settlers prospered. Today the town of Plymouth Rock has a Thanksgiving ceremony each year in remembrance of the first Thanksgiving. Nathaniel Philbrick, author of the book "Mayflower," says it all began with a religious sect who wanted to leave England in 1620. From 'thingys' to puzzles and really large turkeys, these kids have the full scoop on the first Thanksgiving. Although prayers and thanks were probably offered at the 1621 harvest gathering, the first recorded religious Thanksgiving Day in Plymouth happened two years later in 1623. There can be countless records of the same event, and while many times each record is different, there are also incidents in which one needs to know every record to piece together what really happened. Plymouth Colony Governor Edward Winslow. What REALLY Happened at the First Thanksgiving? By Gale Courey Toensing Indian Country Today The First Thanksgiving was a fact finding party When you hear about the Pilgrims and “the Indians” harmoniously sharing the “first Thanksgiving” meal in 1621, the Indians referred to so generically are the ancestors of the contemporary members of the Wampanoag Nation. What Really Happened at the 1st Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving Interactive: You Are the Historian The award-winning interactive activity where kids become history detectives to solve the mystery of what really happened at The First Thanksgiving. How do we know what really happened at the first Thanksgiving at Plymouth (in the fall of 1621)? Just ask these kid experts! That is exactly what the seventh grade at Hamilton Grange Middle School is doing around Thanksgiving. Autumn is upon us and so is our beloved American holiday, Thanksgiving. Nathaniel Philbrick, author of the book "Mayflower," says it all began with a religious sect who wanted to leave England in 1620. The events that happened after 1622 could fill several more videos! What Really Happened at the 1st Thanksgiving. There is no political agenda behind this video. It was the Wampanoages' idea and it was a day of religion and prayer, not food. Thanksgiving Day is a national holiday in the United States, and Thanksgiving 2019 occurs on Thursday, November 28. What Really Happened on the First Thanksgiving? Overview | Why are there so many different interpretations of what happened on the first Thanksgiving? Students begin by establishing a common understanding of the "mainstream narrative" of the First Thanksgiving, either from their own experience, books on Thanksgiving written for young children, or a website like this one from National Geographic Kids. Mostly our knowledge comes from a letter written a couple of months later (December 13, 1621) by pilgrim Edward Winslow (1595-1655). November 22, 2018 06:50 AM Share on Facebook. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an … In 1970, they asked one of them to speak at the ceremony to mark the 350th anniversary of the Pilgrim's arrival. I am a student of history with and I have tried to give an account of the first Thanksgiving that is as close as we can possibly get to the truth. November 26, 2013 by MMXLII 0 When you hear about the Pilgrims and “the Indians” harmoniously sharing the “first Thanksgiving” meal in 1621, the Indians referred to so generically are the ancestors of the … Thanksgiving Virtual Field Trip-Scholastic Webcast On this occasion, the colonists gave thanks to God for rain after a two-month drought. There are still Wampanoag people living in Massachusetts. Squanto died in 1622, never admitting any involvement in a plot to overthrow Massasoit. What Really Happened on the First Thanksgiving? As the story commonly goes, the … In this lesson, students will examine different versions of the story of the first Thanksgiving, evaluate the evidence that supports each version and discuss why the history of Thanksgiving is so contentious. Here's what we really know about the first Thanksgiving, which took place in Plymouth in 1621 among the Pilgrims and Native Americans. Yes, Virginia, there was a first Thanksgiving, but it didn't go exactly as planned. By Dora Mekouar. Tags Kids Thanksgiving.